The Secrets
by liz21310
Summary: Mai, a 13 year old hunter of her small town is sent out on an assignment, only to come back to see her town burnt to the ground. Now she is forced to work for the Phantomhives, where she discovers another side of her she never knew existed. Now Mai has to deal with love and hate, hope and loss, lies and secrets. But who says secrets aren't meant to be discovered?
1. The town of ashes

The secretes

Prologue

'I don't understand anything that's happening. One minute, I'm looking at the love of my life, completely awe struck by his beautiful face, and the next minute, I'm chained in a cold, dark, basement...' she thought, her killer looking at her with lots of interest. He paced back and fourth, back and fourth, thinking about something. Mai looked at her chains in despair, wishing she could escape. As she sat on the cold, hard ground, she thought about her friends and loved one. 'Don't look for me. Please. For me, just stay home. Stay safe, stay alive.' The killer looked over at her, and smiled, showing his sharp, pointy teeth. Mai closed her eyes saying her good byes.

1. The town of ashes

Mai walked back home from her latest assignment, carrying her haul for the day in a large bag. Her bow and arrow was strapped to her back, to make it easier to bring around. She wondered why her father had to send her so far; she had been walking for days- stopping for rest every now and again- but, he usually sent her to the forest east of town. He was acting odd before she left. It seemed as though he was eager for her to leave; that frightened her, considering how close they were.

Mai knew she was close to town, because she saw the familiar pond she used to play in when she was little. She smiled, picking up her pace. Up ahead was a hill that over looked the town; Mai quickly climbed the hill, eager to see her home again. When she got to the top, she looked out and gasped. The town was gone. It was burned to the ground. There was nothing left but piles of black dust, and smoke lingering in the air. She dropped her game, and quickly ran into town, hoping her family was alright. She ran straight to her house, and stopped. 'Am I in the right place?' she looked around, seeing nothing. Her house, the house she had been living in for so long, she be right in front of her; but there was nothing but ashes. Mai sank to her knees in pain, and despair. She took deep breathes, and sat down, trying to control the emotions that threatened to overtake her.

When she thought she was okay, she slowly got up, and started sifting through the rubble, hoping to find something that survived, or maybe one of her family members. But nothing was there; no remains, no objects-nothing. Mai wiped off her blackened hands on her arms, and sat down in the pile of ashes. 'Not only did the town turn to ashes; my heart turned to ashes as well.' She hugged her knee's, and rested her head on top, not fully believing what she was seeing. 'This has to be a nightmare.' She tried to convince herself it was a dream, but it was too real, it was all too real. Mai didn't notice when a shadowed figure walked up to her- considering everything around her was black- and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Excuse me," He said in a polite tone. "You seem to be lost." He stated. Mai shook her head.

"I'm not lost," She replied heartbroken. "Just homeless." The man looked at her with sympathy.

"Let me introduce myself, my name is Sebastian Michaelis. I work for the Phantomhive family." He said proudly. "How would you like to become a maid?" Mai looked up, not believing her ears.

"W-what? You want me as a maid?" She asked tongue tied. Sebastian nodded his head.

"Yes, there certainly is... something about you that's very interesting, and I think you would be perfect for the job." Mai looked down, not wanting to accept the offer. She's heard of the Phantomhives. And she hated them with a passion. Although, some of her hate has lessened when she heard of the accident, but she still didn't like them. But she didn't have a choice. She needed a home, and he needed a maid.

"Fine." She said in a defeated tone. She got up, and brushed herself off. "My name is Mai Hondan by the way." She introduced herself, trying to be polite. Sebastian smiled.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Please, come with me." He walked ahead of her. Mai hesitantly followed, taking one last glance at what used to be her home.


	2. First Night

The walk to the Phantomhive manner was long, and boring. Sebastian made small talk along the way, and Mai happily talked, desperate to forget all of the images that were now burnt into her memory.

"You don't seem like a normal girl." He said, looking at her clothes and bow and arrow strapped to her back. Mai easily hid the hurt she felt.

"My father," She said this with difficulty. "sent me on assignments. I'm a hunter." She looked down at her shoes, then smiled. "I'm surprised you could even tell I was a girl." She said, like she was admitting a dark secret. "At first glance, everyone would guess I'm a boy in this outfit. You can't believe how much it's bothered me." Sebastian smiled at her with sorry eyes.

"I'm sorry to hear that. If you ask me, you look like a girl. A very beautiful one too." He complimented her, with the intent to uplift her dark mood. Mai's smile grew more profound. No one has ever called her beautiful, let alone pretty.

"Thank you," She said kindly, suddenly forgetting her dark mood. They were now on the street in a different town. There were a lot of people out, but they payed little attention to the two strangers.

"I think my young master will like you." He smirked at the double meaning in his words. Mai didn't seem to pick up the double meaning, though. Her face darkened, not enjoying the fact that she was going to work for a noble. 'A noble.' She thought in disgust. 'to think it had to come to this.'

"I wouldn't care if he did or not." She replied bluntly. Sebastian looked at her surprised.

"You don't care?" He said it more matter of fact then a question. Mai looked at him, trying to hide the hate in her eyes.

"No, I don't even know him. So I can't be expected to like someone I don't know." She replied defensively. Sebastian looked at her with what almost seemed like sadness. But he never felt sad.

"I won't make you be friends with him, but I do expect you to have a good attitude around him." He said serious. "He has a very short temper, and you don't want to anger him." He silently laughed to himself, remembering the small temper tantrums he sometimes had. Mai nodded.

"Fine." She said, obviously not happy about it. 'They all sound the same to me-they get angry if they don't get what they want, thinking they are better than everyone else.' Her bangs shadowed her eyes, also hiding the dark looks she was giving Sebastian. The two continued the rest of the walk in silence. She looked up at the sky, and saw it was still early in the morning. The clouds streaked the sky, and the sun filled the sky with color towards the west, turning a pale blue in other parts.

"We're here." Sebastian announced, gesturing to the large mansion in front of them. Mai couldn't help but look at the house shocked. It was the biggest house she's ever seen. She quickly composed herself, and shrugged.

"Lovely," She said darkly. Sebastian chuckled, and opened the gates. Mai cringed as the gates creaked open. She followed Sebastian up the small drive way, and stopped on the porch. Sebastian quietly opened the door, and stepped in. Mai reluctantly followed, and looked around. The main theme seemed to be a dark blue, there were large paintings on the wall, and a huge living room in front of them. Although, it was far from living.

"This is the main room. The bedrooms are on the next floor," He gestured towards the stairs. "And the kitchen is right through those double doors." Just then- as if on cue- three servants ran out of the kitchen, chasing what looked like, a small mouse.

"I'LL GET IT!" Screeched a tall man with blonde hair, running right past Sebastian and Mai. Sebastian sighed, and looked at them weary.

"NO! Don't hurt him!" called a smaller sized blonde haired boy, following the taller man. Then a red haired girl- about the same height as the young blonde haired boy- ran after the two of them, stumbling a few times. She carried a small metal bowl.

"CATCH HIM IN THIS!" She yelled after them. They all chased the mouse to the second floor, quickly disappearing from sight. Sebastian looked at Mai with apologetic eyes.

"I'm sorry. Those are the servants; Bard, Finny, and Mey-rin." He introduced them politely. Mai nodded her head amused.

"It's nice to meet them." She said sincerely, still looking towards the stairs. Suddenly there was a loud crash from above. Sebastian glanced at the stairs.

"I'll leave you to look around." He said, walking away into the other room. Mai glanced around the manner with uninterested eyes. 'It's okay...' She thought, not thinking very much of it. She eyed the stairs, and slowly walked towards it. She placed her hand on the smooth railing, and made her way upstairs. The second floor was dark, and had the same theme of dark blue. There were a lot of doors, leading to various rooms. She then saw the three servants run past her, the small blonde haired boy was carrying a statue, or a type of pillar. She looked at him with wide eyes. 'Woah, is he really carrying that heavy thing around?' She thought in disbelief. The servants trapped the mouse in a corner, and all dived for it at the same time. They ended piling on top of each other, and the little mouse scurried away. They all groaned in frustration, and defeat. Mai looked at them feeling bad. The red haired girl- supposedly names Mey-rin- looked up at her, and smiled.

"Why hello there." She said, quickly getting up. Mai smiled and waved once.

"Hello," She said warmly, taking a like to the servants already. "my names Mai Hondan. I'm the new maid." She said the last part in a hard voice. Mey-rin looked at her adoringly. The other two servants looked at Mai with curious eyes. The blonde haired boy smiled widely at her, and scrambled to get up. The other servant just sat on the floor.

"Sebastian got another maid?" Mey-rin asked critical, before smiling wider. "That's great! It's going to be so nice to have some extra help around here." She said excited. "I'm Mey-rin," She introduced herself before pointing to the others. "This is Finny," She pointed to the short blonde haired boy. He smiled, and waved friendly.

"Hello," he greeted kindly. Mey-rin pointed to the blonde haired man sitting on the floor.

"And, this is Bard." She said finally. Bard smiled and waved once.

"Hey," He greeted nonchalantly. Mai nodded at them, and smiled, glad they accepted her so quickly.

"It's very nice to meet you all." She said sincerely. Just then, she caught a small figure moving in the corner of her eye. She held her hand out, "Can I borrow the bowl for a moment?" She asked quietly. The three looked at her curious, and Mey-rin handed her the bowl. Mai crouched, and silently waited for the mouse to come closer. It quickly scurried across the room, then looked up at her. It slowly started coming towards her, almost within her reach. Mai was just about to trap it when the door behind them opened.

"What's going on out here?" A small boy about Mai's height demanded. He had dark blue hair, almost black. He was wearing dark blue clothes, and a black eye patch on his right eye. He looked almost sinister, but at the same time...adoring? Mai growled under her breath, but tried to keep her temper in control, since she knew it wasn't his fault. The three servants looked at the boy apologetically.

"S-sorry young master." They said in unison. Mai's dark gold bangs suddenly shadowed her eyes. 'Young master? He must be the head of the house.' She thought suddenly annoyed.

"We were just trying to catch a mouse." Mey-rin said, pointing to where the mouse was. Bard and Finny looked at the ground guilty. The boy smiled mockingly.

"You're saying you couldn't catch a simple mouse?" He asked amused. Mai felt her blood rise in heat of her anger. This was another reason why she didn't like nobles. They treat the servants like they're worth nothing.

"We were about to catch it until you came out!" She lashed out at the boy, looking at him with hard gold eyes. The boy looked at her surprised, as well as the three servants.

"Who is he?" The boy asked, looking at Mai angry. Mai clenched her hands into fists, trying very hard not to loose what little self control she had left. Finny, Bard, and Mey-rin all looked at him with shock.

"He?" Mai questioned furiously. She knew she looked like a boy when wearing her hunting uniform, but she sounded nothing like a boy. The boy took a second look at her, clearly confused.

"Y-young master, this is Mai Hondan. The new maid." Finny stood up for her. The boy looked at her uninterested.

"I never hired a maid." He said coldly. Just then Sebastian silently walked up behind him, holding the small mouse in his hand.

"I'm sorry I forgot to inform you young master, but I took the liberty of hiring a new maid to help around the manner. I also seemed to catch your little friend." He said holding up the mouse, and remembering all the chaos that happens when he's not around. Mai- as well as the others- looked at him shocked. The boy looked back at him with cold eyes.

"Good. Get rid of it." He said, darkly amused at his twist of words. Mai picked up on it. 'Did he just call me, an it?' She was past the point of furious. She roughly grabbed his arm, and looked at him coldly.

"Look, I don't even want to be here. I think I would rather take death with a smile then work for someone of the likes of you. I hate nobles. They are disgusting people, and they make me sick." Mai looked at him, hoping her words would physically burn him. Everyone- including Sebastian- looked at her shocked. The three servants had they're jaws dropped to the floor. The boy looked at her alarmed, but composed him, roughly shoving her away.

"Don't touch me you filthy peasant." The boy said harshly. Mey-rin got a nose bleed, and quickly covered it with a handkerchief. Bard's straw- in replacement of what he usually had- fell out of his mouth, and Finny could only stare. Sebastian looked appalled. Before he could do anything, Mai instinctively walked up to him, and slashed his cheek with her nails; it left a long, red line, starting from his temple, and ending near his jaw. A small drop of blood rolled down his wounded cheek. The room was dead silent; everyone stared at the two, trying to absorb what just happened. Mai didn't feel guilty, and she was far from apologizing.

"Let's go treat your wound my lord." Sebastian spoke up, breaking the tense silence. Everyone loosened up at once. The boy nodded, and walked away without another word. Finny walked up to Mai.

"Mai, you'll have to apologize to master Ciel." He said in a shaky voice. 'Ciel huh?' She thought, surprisingly liking the name. She crossed her arms.

"I'm not going to apologize to him. I refuse." She replied stubbornly. Bard and Mey-rin surrounded her, looking worried.

"You have to apologize Mai! If you don't, your probably going to get fired." Mey-rin said, not wanting to lose her new friend.

"Yeah, you should just say sorry and get it over with." Bard agreed with everyone else. Mai sighed.

"No. I'll forgive him when I want to forgive him." She wasn't about to let this go. She thought back to just a few moments ago, and thought of the blood rolling down his cheek. She secretly smiled to herself, pleased. Finny was about to object when the others gave him a look saying 'there's no point.' They all sighed.

"Shall we show you around the manner?" Finny asked, back to his friendly self. Mai smiled, eager to forget what happened.

"Yes, thank you." She replied warmly. Everyone smiled, and walked off to tour the manner. As Mai and the others were touring the manner, Ciel and Sebastian were in the master bedroom. He had a large blue bed, and a large window on the right side of his bed, viewing the garden. The walls were painted a dark gold, and there was a large rug on the floor. Sebastian was treating his wound, and Ciel complained non-stop.

"How dare she touch me, and then have the nerve to harm me. Does she know who I am?" He demanded furious. Sebastian sighed, gently cleaning off the blood the dripped down his face.

"I'm sorry for what happened," He grudgingly apologized for her. "but you should know better then to call her a peasant. That is not how you talk to a lady." He said, upset by his masters behavior. "She knows who you are, but from what's she said, she doesn't take a liking to nobles. It may take time for her to get used being here." Ciel looked at him like he said a joke.

"She's not staying here. I want her gone." He said bluntly. Sebastian shook his head.  
>"I'm afraid I can't do that." He got a fresh wash cloth, and continued to try and stop the bleeding. "I hired her. And, it would be shameful to put a lady on the street." He said, knowing how much Ciel valued the reputation of his family name. He stared at the wall when he replied.<p>

"Fine. Let her stay. But don't let her bother me." He replied coldly. Sebastian nodded.

"Yes my lord." He replied, standing up. Ciel's cheek stopped bleeding, but left behind was the long red line. "It may take a few days for your wound to heal." He nodded, and kept himself from cursing Sebastian for allowing this to happen. By the time Sebastian was done cleaning Ciel's wound, Mai and everyone else finished touring the manner. She liked the garden the most, thinking of it as a small maze. They group stopped in the living room.

"And we are now back at the living room." Finny said with a smile. Mai smiled kindly in response.

"It's very nice." She admitted grudgingly. Just then, Sebastian walked down the stairs, having some type of clothing draped over his arm. He smiled at Mai.

"I assume everyone showed you around?" Mai nodded, eying the clothing draped over his arm. "Here is your uniform." Sebastian handed the maid outfit to her. She took one look at it, and gasped in horror. It was very short, going right above her knees. It was black, with a white smock going from the waist down. The lower trim was a light pink, and at the top it had short, black puffy sleeves that went right over her shoulders, with a white trim on top. The chest area was cut into a V, revealing her chest. The only thing that kept it closed, was a purple vintage lace that crossed over each other in a diamond pattern. To go with the outfit, was a white bandana, with white ruffles on top. Two purple vintage ribbons to put in her hair, and white hand cuffs that went around her wrists, it had a white trim bordering it, and one black button on each to keep them closed. Mai stared at the outfit, and then looked at Sebastian furious.

"I. Am not. Wearing. This." She said slowly, not wanting to lose her temper again. The three servants stared at Mai shocked. May-rin suddenly got a nose bleed, and quickly got another handkerchief.

"Isn't that a little revealing?" Bard asked suddenly. Mai looked at him, grateful he was standing up for her.

"I'm sorry, but this is all we have for the time being." Sebastian replied, handing the uniform to the infuriated girl. She looked at it, then looked at everyone else for help. They all looked back at her with sorry expressions. She sighed, and trudged off to the bathroom to change. She slowly closed the door behind her, and looked in the mirror. 'What's happening to me? ' She thought sadly. Mai slowly stripped of her hunting uniform, and put on the horrid maid uniform. She looked in the mirror surprised.

The outfit complimented her body very nicely. It made her gold eyes, and hair stand out, and it brightened her face. She slowly put the purple ribbons on each side of her hair, and put on the white bandana. She then put on the white cuffs, and took one last look in the mirror, before taking a deep breath and stepping out. She looked out the window, and saw the sun was in the middle of the sky. Mai slowly walked back in the room, and saw everyone- except Ciel- waiting for her. Everyone gasped, and looked at her with wide eyes. Mey-rin's face turned red at the sight of her.

"You look beautiful Mai." She whispered. Everyone nodded in agreement. She blushed darkly, and looked away. Sebastian then spoke up.

"For your first assignment, will you bring tea to the master in his study's?" He asked, even though it was more of an order. She didn't have a choice, so she nodded. Sebastian brought her a tray with a tea pot, two small cups, and a container of tea leaves. He gently handed it to her. "His study is the last door on the left." He instructed. Mai nodded once, and slowly went upstairs, avoiding the looks she got from everyone. 'This is humiliating.' She thought. The hallway was dark, and eerie. The sun offered little light to Mai's discouragement. She slowly made her way down the hallway, and found the last door on the left. She took a deep breath, and knocked quietly.

"Come in," Ciel said, sounding bored. Mai slowly opened the door, and looked around. He had a few books shelves, with a numerous amount of books. Ciel was reading a newspaper, not paying any attention to the girl. She gritted her teeth, and worked to make her voice sound lighter.

"Would you like some tea?" She asked, finding it surprisingly easy to sound kinder. Ciel smiled behind the newspaper, recognizing the voice. He slowly put the paper down, ready to make a witty insult, when he got a good look at her uniform. He felt blood rise to his face, turning his cheeks a light pink. Mai didn't seem to notice. Ciel nodded his head, and she put a few spoonfuls of tea leaves in the tea pot. Bards words suddenly ran through her mind. 'Just get it over with.' Now would be as good a time as any. She slowly turned towards the boy, who was still looking at her, and sighed. "...I'm sorry I hurt you." She mumbled, finding it easier to say then she thought. Ciel looked at the ground, ant muttered,

"I apologize for calling you a peasant." He hated saying sorry to people, and when he did, it was always embarrassing. Mai smiled a small smile, happy he apologized. She turned back to the tea pot, and poured the tea in a small cup. She then handed it to the embarrassed boy.

"Is that all?" She asked, eager to leave out of her embarrassment. Ciel nodded, keeping his eyes on the newspaper. She smiled, "Thank you," she said, quickly walking out of the room, and shutting the door behind her. She made her way downstairs, and noticed everyone was off working in other parts of the house. She walked towards the kitchen to drop the tray off, when she heard a loud explosion. Her eyes widened, and she quickly opened the door, making it slam against the wall. The kitchen was blackened from the explosion, and standing in the middle of the kitchen, was a blackened Bard. He looked around nonchalantly. 'How can he be so nonchalant about this?' Mai wondered.

"Are you okay?" She asked, quickly walking to his side. He looked down at her with an embarrassed smile.

"Yeah, yeah. Just thought I'd make the food faster if I used explosives. But it never seems to work..." He trailed off, not understanding how explosives couldn't have made the food faster. She sighed. 'I don't even want to know where he got the idea from.' Mai placed the tray down on the black counter. It looked as though it would crumble at any moment. Suddenly, there was a loud crash of dishes in the other room. Mai quickly walked out of the kitchen, and saw Mey-rin on the ground, surrounded with broken dishes.

"Here, let me help." She offered, getting down on her knees, and carefully picking up the small shards. Mey-rin looked at her surprised.

"Thank you," She said, quickly picking up the glass. She nodded her head, and dumped the glass into a small trash can nearby. They carefully picked up the remaining glass, and hid the evidence in the trash. Mey-rin carefully picked up the glasses that were left unharmed, and quickly got up. She made her way down the narrow hallway, when Sebastian appeared in front of her, and pushed her out of the way. Just then, there was a loud shot, and the glass shattered, leaving a bullet hole in the wall. Mai quickly looked at the hole in the wall, then looked out the window. The bushes rustled, and she saw a figure run from his hiding place. Mey-rin was on the floor, blushing a hundred shades of red, while Sebastian was covering her.

"What was that?" Mai asked, even though she knew clearly what happened. Sebastian smiled, and got up, brushing himself off.

"I'm sorry, it's nothing to worry about. Now if you'll excuse me," He turned around, and quickly walked down the hallway. Mey-rin and Mai looked at each other, then looked down the hallway again, and saw Sebastian was gone. They shrugged, and went back to work. Mai walked down the hall, and decided to go back to Ciel's study's to retrieve his cup of tea. She walked upstairs, and knocked. There was no answer. She crossed her arms, and continued waiting, until she opened the door annoyed. She took one look at the room, and gasped. His book shelves were knocked over, his books, and papers were scattered across the floor, and the double doors behind his desk were open. A light breeze blew through the room, causing papers to fly everywhere.

"Geez, what happened here?" She muttered, slowly picking up the scattered books, and papers. She looked up, and thought she saw a shadow run by, but shrugged it off. 'This is going to take forever,' she thought, much to her annoyance. She moved the book shelves back up, and piled to books next to it. 'Did he have these in alphabetical order?' She wondered, not wanting to make a mistake. 'Hm...' She decided to put them in alphabetical order; she then picked up the papers, and carefully put them into a neat stack, not bothering to organize them, since she had no idea what any of it was. After the room looked decent, closed the double doors, and quickly left, taking down the tea that he never finished. The manner was quiet, and Mai took peace in it. She walked back to the kitchen, and opened the doors. 'What? How...?' The kitchen was no longer black, and everything was cleaned. She poured the tea down the sink, and looked at the three friends surrounding something.

"Are we allowed to eat it?" Bard asked, putting his hand behind his head. The others shook their head, not sure. Curiosity got the best of her, and she walked around the counter, and saw a small cake. It was black forest, with white frosting, and cherries on top. Her mouth watered at the sight of it. The others smiled at her reaction.

"I don't know. I don't want to get in trouble.." Finny said unsure. The others- including Mai- looked disappointed.

"He told me to take it." Bard said, reaching for a knife. Mey-rin grabbed his arm.

"No! We can't. What if it's for the young master?" She said worried. 'Young master?' Mai thought critical. 'Yeah, right. I think I'll keep from calling him that.' She thought smug. Finny carefully took the cake, and

put it on the other counter, to keep them from temptation. "I wonder where Sebastian went in such a hurry?" Bard asked casually.

"I'm not sure. But, I'm sure he'll be back soon." Mey-rin replied. Mai sat down in a chair, and listened to the conversation while looking at the window. The afternoon was turning into evening; the sun was behind the trees, changing the sky from light blue, to various reds, and oranges. Soon she tuned out the talking until is was just background noise. She knew what she saw, someone tried to kill Mey-rin. But Sebastian just excused it as nothing. 'He's hiding something...' Before she could get any further in her thoughts, Finny interrupted her.

"Mai? Can you help us clean the house for Sebastian, and the masters return?" He asked kindly. She looked up at him and smiled, finding it impossible to be annoyed with him.

"Sure," She replied, getting out of her chair, and pushing it back to the table. "The day seems to be going by so fast." She said out loud. Finny laughed.

"Yes, it seems like that around here. I don't think you can ever get bored honestly." He talked as he walked out to the garden to tend to the plants and flowers. Mai followed, eager to help in anyway she can. He got down on the ground, and started picking small weeds the sprouted around the plants. Mai got down on the ground, and started picking the small weeds. Finny looked at her surprised.

"Oh no Mai, I don't want you to ruin your uniform." Mai smiled, she felt really comfortable around him. He reminds her of a brother. 'A second brother...' Her smile grew wider.

"Oh, don't worry about me. I want to help." She replied warmly. She finished picking the weeds around some violets, so she moved on to the roses, avoiding the pointy thorns. The two quickly worked, talking very little.

"It must be difficult to be in such a new place." He asked while putting the weeds in a small pile. Mai sighed.

"It is, but I'm sure I'll get used to it soon. As long as you guys are here that is." She looked at the blue rose as she spoke. "Honestly... you guys are the closest thing's I've ever had to friends, and I've only known you guys for a few hours." Finny smiled in response.

"Of course we're your friends Mai. We'll always be there for you; your one of us now." Mai felt a wave of emotion that threatened to make tears. She forced the emotion back, focusing on picking weeds.

"Thank you," She said fervently. The two finished their work quickly. By the time they finished, the sun has set, darkening the sky, and lighting it again with millions of stars.

"Let's head back." Finny said, offering her a hand. Mai gratefully took it, and the two walked back to the manner. She brushed her blackened hands off, and put them behind her back as she walked. When they got back, everyone was waiting in the front room.

"The master and Sebastian are back!" Mey-rin said excited. Finny and Bard smiled, and opened the front door, walking out to greet them. Mai didn't smile, but she did her best to make herself look pleasant. They ran down the driveway, and greeted Sebastian, who was cradling Ciel in his arms. Despite Mai's efforts, she couldn't but help but smile at the sight. She looked down, so her hair would cover her smile.

"Young master, are you okay?" The three servants asked in unison. The boy nodded.

"Yes, I'm fine." He looked up at Sebastian. "Put me down." He demanded. Sebastian smirked, and did as he said. Mai looked up at him, then quickly looked away. The moonlight shined down on him, giving him a soft white glow. It also made the blue in his hair, and eyes stand out. Mai's cheeks felt warm, and she hid behind her hair again. Ciel didn't pay any attention to her. After everyone said their greetings, they walked back to the manner, not questioning where they've been. Sebastian opened the door, and had everyone walk in before him. He then closed the door behind him.

"I suggest that everyone should be going to bed soon." Sebastian announced. Mai nodded, now realizing how tired she was. Can she have only discovered her charred house this morning? It felt like it was years ago. So much has happened in such little time. "Mey-rin, will you show Mai to her room?" Mey-rin nodded eagerly, and grabbed her wrist. They walked upstairs, and walked a ways down the hall, and stopped at a door in between two others.

"This will be your room. It's right between mine, and the young masters." She said kindly. 'Right next to Ciel's?' She turned her head away so she could roll her eyes. She then put on a fake smile.

"Thank you," She said earnestly. She opened the door, and saw it was a small room, but it had dark blue bedding, and two soft white pillows. There was a large window, viewing the garden. She couldn't help but smile. She was becoming attached to the garden. "Thank you so much." She said again. Mey-rin nodded her head and smile.

"Good night. See you in the morning." She gave her a quick hug, and left. Mai stood there shocked for a moment, but then shrugged it off. 'I don't have anything to change into.' She thought to her dismay. 'Oh well, I'll just sleep in my uniform.' She thought, kicking off her black shoes. She climbed into bed reluctantly, and curled up into a ball to keep warm. The room was very cold to her. Despite to her being uncomfortable, it was impossible not to fall asleep in the warm, soft bed. She closed her eyes, and fell asleep with a smile.


	3. Unexpected

Unexpected

Mai slept peacefully that night, although she got constant flickers of what happened the day before. The ashes of the once small town, the ashes of her home, Sebastian offering to hire her as a maid, meeting the three servants and trying to catch the mouse, meeting Ciel and cutting his cheek, someone trying to kill Mey-rin, helping Finny in the garden, seeing Ciel under the light of the soft glowing moon...

Soon Mai woke up to the soft light of the early morning sun. It tinted the sky a light pink, and colored the clouds a soft, vibrant purple. Sebastian was standing next to the window, looking down at Mai.

"Good morning ms. Hondan." He greeted softly. "I need you to get up, there are many things that need to be done today." He still had a soft tone to his voice, but under it, he was serious. Mai looked up at him, then closed her eyes again, putting her pillow over her head. She wasn't ready to get up yet. The bed was too soft and warm to leave. Sebastian sighed, and grabbed the comforter of her bed, and pulled it off her. Mai shivered, being revealed to the cold air of the room. She opened her eyes annoyed, and sighed, knowing she had to get up at one point or another. Sebastian eyed her uniform and frowned. Mai noticed his expression, and looked down at her uniform.

"Don't worry about it." She said cheerfully, not minding-that much- sleeping in her uniform. She quickly got up and began making her bed, when Sebastian grabbed her wrist.

"Please, allow me to get that." He said politely. Mai looked up at him, and tried not to shudder. Somehow, the thought of Sebastian making her bed bothered her.

"It's alright." She spoke quietly. "I can make it myself." Sebastian sighed again, and silently left the room, closing the door behind him. When Mai finished making her bed, she sat on the edge of it and stared out the window. She observed the sun, the clouds, the garden down below. It felt like the little garden had a million little secrets to share, and many dark mysteries to it as well. Mai was tempted to sneak out to the garden, but decided against it, knowing she had work to do. 'Maybe if Sebastian and Ciel leave again, I can sneak out to the garden.' She thought, already feeling eager to go.

Mai slowly walked over to the wooden dresser next to the door, and quickly checked herself in the long, oval mirror. It never ceased to amaze her how much the dress made her look like a girl. Although it was still horrible to wear. She felt like being kind to herself- just this once- and thought she even looked a little pretty. But, she was thinking to much of it. Mai readjusted her vintage purple bows, smoothed out the curls in her hair, and walked out. She made her way down the stairs to get started on her chores- which she had no idea what any of them were- when she spotted Ciel talking to someone down in the 'living' room.

Mai walked slower down the stairs, trying not to get caught. She peeked over at the person, and saw it was a women with bright red hair, and she wore red clothes, and she even wore red makeup. Mai couldn't help but stare a little, she looked pretty, but at the same time... eerie? Scary? She couldn't find the right word to describe her. Standing next to her was a small man in a butlers uniform, although it was more brown than black. He had his hair pulled back into a loose pony tail, and he seemed almost frightened, and...awe struck? Mai wasn't sure if she read his expression right, but she shrugged it off. She quickly, and silently, made her way down the stairs, and tried to escape through the back unnoticed. Her attempt was sadly wasted when the women spotted her retreating figure below the stairs.  
>"Who is this Ciel?" The women asked curiously. She had a light voice, but it also sounded serious in way she couldn't understand. Mai looked over her shoulder, and saw the women- and her butler- looking at her. She felt embarrassed that she got caught, but more than that, she was embarrassed that she was seeing her in her ghastly- yet strangely attractive- uniform. Mai kept her hands behind her back as she slowly walked towards the women.<p>

"She's no one." Ciel said quickly, causing Mai to glare at him under her bangs. It was comments like that, that made her want to kick him. The women looked disappointed, which further confused Mai.

"She doesn't look like no one." She stated, almost chided. "She's too pretty to be 'no one.'" Mai felt heat rush to her face, becoming more embarrassed by the second. She glanced over at Ciel, and saw he almost looked embarrassed himself. 'He probably thinks it's embarrassing for this women to hand out compliments to servants like me.' She thought grimly. Mai then glanced at Sebastian, and he almost seemed amused. Mai looked back the at the women, and flinched when she was suddenly closer. The women smiled, then turned to Ciel. "Ciel, are you going to introduce me to this girl, or do I have to do it myself?" She asked cheery, although there seemed to be a hint of sarcasm under her cheery tone. Ciel sighed heavily before saying,

"..." He didn't know what her name was. The women looked at him, waiting for an answer, and Ciel struggled to remember someone possibly calling her by her name. Sebastian whispered in Ciel's ear,

"Mai," He then straightened up, and pretended nothing had happened. Ciel turned to Mai and said,

"Mai, this is Madam Red. Madam Red, this is my maid, Mai." He introduced them to each other, and Madam Red looked at Mai happily.

"I'm also his aunt." She added, not at all offended that he didn't mention her being so. Mai gave a pointed look at Ciel, wondering why he didn't bother saying she was his aunt. Ciel ignored her glare, and continued the conversation they were having before Mai unintentionally interrupted.

"As I was saying, I would like Grell to train under Sebastian. He's a great role model for him. Let's face it, he's helpless when it comes to being a butler." Mai looked at Madam Red shocked, and angry. Despite her cheery voice, she sounded so mean. She glanced at the butler, and he looked embarrassed, but also eager. His differences in moods didn't make any sense to Mai, but she didn't think anything of it. Ciel seemed to think it over for a moment, before glancing at Sebastian. A devious smile suddenly appeared.

"Fine. I will have Grell train under Sebastians supervision." Madam Red smiled ruefully.

"Thank you Ciel. I'll be sure to reward you for this." She said before getting up and leaving quicker than Mai would have thought possible. Mai stared after for a moment, before quietly walking away from everyone. 'I wonder where Finny is?' She wondered while walking under the stairs and to the main hallway. Sebastian headed towards the kitchen to make breakfast, and Grell followed. As Mai was walking, she found Mey-rin walking down the hall, carrying a dangerously high stack of plates. Worrying she might drop them, Mai walked over and helped.

"here, let me take some of these..." She took half the stack, and struggled to not have them fall out of her hands. Mey-rin looked grateful.

"Thank you very much Mai." She smiled at her.

"You don't have to thank me." She replied cheerfully. "Where are we going with these?" She asked, looking down the hallway. Mey-rin pointed under the stairs that led past the 'living' room, and led down another hallway to the dining room.

"We need to set these up in the dining room." Mai nodded, and began to make her way under the stairs again.

"Why so many?" She couldn't help but ask. It was a lot of plates for one person. Mey-rin laughed at Mai's question.

"We only need a few, the rest are going to be put away in the kitchen." She explained.

"Oh." Mai replied, feeling like an idiot. The two walked down the dark hallway, and into the dining room. They set up the plates, and the silverware, and then struggled to carry the rest into the kitchen. Mai handed Mey-rin plates while she stood on a small ladder and put them away on a wooden shelf. There was a small cart near the counter with different types of tea.

"I need you to bring this out to the young master in just a moment." Sebastian instructed Grell, paying little attention to the two girls putting dishes away. Grell nodded his head shyly, before Sebastian walked out. He looked over at the two girls and said,

"Would you like some help?" The two shook their head at the same time.

"No thanks, we're almost done." Mai said kindly. Grell nodded his head, and looked at the cart standing in front of him. Mey-rin and Mai finished their work in silence, and then leaned against the counter, resting for a moment.

"I think it's about time." Grell said to himself, walking towards the cart. Suddenly, he tripped over something neither Mai or Mey-rin could see, and fell onto the cart, pushing it out the door. The two girls looked at each other for a moment, before running after him. They ran down the hallway, and heard a crash in the dining room. They walked in, and saw the mess of dishes everywhere, and a tea soaked Finny. He held out the stain on his shirt, and said,

"Ow, ow, ow, this is really hot!" Mai looked at him sympathetically, but somehow found it a little funny.

"I'm so sorry, here let me help." He grabbed the edge of the table cloth, and yanked it, causing all the food, and silverware to fall off the table. Mai smiled for the first time- around Ciel or Sebastian- and tried not to laugh. Ciel sighed, and pressed his fingers on his temples. Bard leaned over to Ciel and said,

"Why did you hire a bum like him?" Ciel closed his eyes and said,

"I thought it would only inconvenience Sebastian, not _me_." Mai then started laughing, it was too funny to not laugh. Ciel glared at Mai, but couldn't hide the surprise in his eyes.

"What's so funny?" He demanded. Mai looked over at him, still laughing.

"It...it's...just your..reaction!" Everyone looked at her shocked, but she didn't care.

"I failed." Grell said suddenly, making mai stop her laughing. "I can't do anything right! I don't deserve to live!" He suddenly grabbed a dagger, and pointed it at his throat. The three servants looked at him shocked.

"Wait, don't do anything rash!" Bard said. Mey-rin looked confused and said,

"Where did he get the knife from?" Finny just stood there, looking shocked. Sebastian walked up to Grell, and placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling.

"Now, we can't have you end yourself here. If your blood got on the walls, it would be harder to clean up." Grell turned around, and dropped the knife, looking at Sebastian with sparkles in his eyes.

"Thank you. You are..so kind." Bard turned to Finny, Mey-rin, and Mai and asked,

"Was that kind?" The three shook their heads. Sebastian then turned to Ciel and said,

"It's almost time my lord." Ciel nodded, and sipped his tea. Sebastian then turned back to Grell, still looking cheery. "Before I forget, if you wish to rest eternally, I ask that you please do it outside." He then walked out of the room. Mai looked at Sebastian annoyed, but said nothing. Grell stared after and said,

"You are so kind." Mai started to wonder if Grell was entirely sane. She walked back into the 'living' room, and saw Ciel and Sebastian leave. She smiled widely, not questioning where they were going. She looked over to the garden doors, and sighed. She knew she had to get her work done first. Mai wandered about the house, looking for things that needed cleaning. She ended up dusting the tables, and various bookshelves, helped Bard make lunch- not wanting anything to explode again-, helped Mey-rin organize the silverware, and saved the best for last, which was helping everyone cut the hedges in the yard behind the manner. She didn't mind, since she got to be with Finny. Grell also helped, to their dismay. As they were cutting hedges, Mey-rin casually asked where Ciel and Sebastian went off to. Finny put a hand behind his head and replied;

"I sort of, accidentally, broke his walking stick." He remembered how he broke it to begin with. He was in his study's, looking for something he couldn't remember, when he saw his walking stick. He got curious, and picked it up. 'I wonder if it's bendy..?' he wondered, before bending it slightly. It didn't break, or crack, so he continued to bend it until he head a sharp, _snap!_ He shuddered at the memory. Everyone seemed to shake their head, amused. Mai smiled up at Finny, finding his story to be hilarious. Grell then started randomly asking about Ciel and the manner, when a tall man with white hair, and a black uniform came up behind him. Everyone's eyes lit up.

"Tankana!" The three said in unison. Mai and Grell stared at the man, not knowing who he was.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you in your original form." Mey-rin commented. He smiled and nodded, before answering Grell's question about the manner. "It burnt down when Ciel was a child, mercilessly killing his parents, and his dog, who happened to be named, Sebastian." 'Named after a dog?' Mai wondered without humor, for the story was too upsetting to be amused by anything. 'fitting.' She thought, before she shuddered. 'What is wrong with me?' She thought with horror. Sebastian had been much too kind to her, and for some reason she couldn't understand, she seemed to be resenting him. It baffled her, since she has never been known to resent, or ever even be angry with anyone. Besides Ciel, but even now, she can't say she resents him. But he's still not her favorite person. He was right above crow's, and below cats on her 'dislike' list. Takana then went on to say how the manner got restored a year later. Takana suddenly turned into a..chibi? Mai and Grell looked at him horror struck, and confused. Bard just laughed.

"He has a very low tolerance of heat." Mai nodded, still not knowing who he is.

"Who is he, if I might ask?" Finny smiled, over hearing her question.

"That's Takana. He's in charge of business and financial services for the company." Mai looked at him as though he were speaking a different language.

"Company...?" Before she could get any further, Mey-rin screamed. Everyone turned around, and saw her and Bard pointing at something. Mai looked over, and dropped her hedge clippers. Instead of being round, the bushes were all in the shape of skulls.

"Why skulls?" Bard wondered, staring at the bushes in horror. Grell was on his knees, his hedge clippers in front of him.

"I messed up again didn't I?" Mai looked over, and gasped when he was suddenly standing on a ladder, with a rope tied to the tree. "I don't deserve to live!" Bard suddenly yelled,

"Stop trying to kill yourself over every little thing!"

"But if I don't, my reputation will be ruined!" Someone then grabbed the ladder, and pulled it out, not realizing Grell was already in the nook. His face suddenly turned blue.

"GRELL!" Everyone yelled. Bard grabbed the hedge clippers, and cut Grell down. As soon as he was down, and okay, everyone sighed in relief, and frustration. Suddenly a high pitched yell came from inside the manner.

"CIEL?" It sounded like a small child. A little girl. Mai looked to Finny, and his face was in a mask of horror, as was Bard, and Mey-rin.

"What's wrong?" She asked, suddenly anxious.

"Elizabeth." Bard whispered. Mai looked at them confused, not understanding why they were in such shock. She walked back into the house, when she was stopped by Finny.

"No Mai. I suggest you don't go in there." He warned. She shook her head confused.

"I'll be alright." She reassured before walking off again. Finny followed her, not wanting her to go alone. Inside, a small girl stood by the front door. She had blonde, curly hair, green eyes, and a pink dress. She had a large box behind her.

"Hello." Mai greeted cheerfully, happy to see another girl who was about her age. She seemed to be twelve at least. The girl looked at Mai, and her face darkened ever so slightly.

"Hello, my name is Elizabeth Middleford. Ciel's fiancee. Who are _you?_" Mai stared uncomprehendingly. She heard of nobles being betrothed, but she never thought at such a young age. Not to mention the fact, that there was a deep warmth inside her, that seemed to go to her core. It wasn't pleasant. She was also annoyed by the fact that this girl- who she has just met- seemed to be jealous of her. Then again, the uniform wasn't helping her.

"My name is Mai Hondan." She said in a reassuring voice, but also a bit annoyed. "I'm the new maid." Elizabeth seemed to calm down at once, since she was just a maid.

"Nice to meet you!" She said, her face no longer dark. Mai looked off to the side so she could scowl. She was just the same as Ciel. 'Ha, let him have her.' She thought, thinking they were already perfect for each other. Mai looked over at her again, and looked at the box curiously.

"May I ask what's in the box?" Elizabeth smiled widely, and said,

"It's everything I need to make Ciel's mansion look pretty. And his workers too." Her voice hardened slightly at the end, which bothered Mai to no end.

"Pretty?" She questioned. "What exactly do you mean by..pretty?" Elizabeth giggled.

"You'll see." She promised. Soon after, Sebastian opened the door to the manner, and Ciel stepped in, before stepping back in horror. Sebastian looked down at him at what looked like worry.

"My lord? What seems to be-" He cut off his sentence in his shock. The manner was draped in pink and blue lace, and fabric. In the middle, seemed to be a pole with many different color ribbons.

"My mansion..." Ciel said in horror. Hearing Ciel's voice, Bard, Finny, and Mey-rin ran to him with anime tears in their eyes. They seemed to be wearing outfits picked out by Lizzy. Finny wore a bunny outfit, Bard was a maid, and Mey-rin... he wasn't sure.

"It was so horrible...; She made us; save me!" They stumbled over each others words, not making any sense.

"Who?" Ciel demanded. Bard looked behind him, and pointed,

"Her!" Elizabeth came out of the dining room and ran into Ciel's arms.

"CIEL!" She yelled eagerly. Ciel got pushed back by the force of Elizabeth's hug.

"Elizabeth?" She sighed and looked at him,

"I told you to call me Lizzy. Do you like what I did with your mansion? I made it pretty for you!" She said eagerly. Mai stepped out from under the stairs, and stood by the three servants. She wore a light blue dress, her gold hair hanging down to her waist, with one light blue ribbon on each side of her head. The dress actually covered her body, so she looked decent. Which was a huge relief to her. That, and the fact that she was the only one who didn't look ridiculous. Ciel glanced at Mai for a moment too long. He could hardly believe that she actually looked..appealing. He shuddered at the thought. Apparently, Lizzie's attempt to make her look ridiculous backfired. Lizzy began spinning him around like a rag doll, telling him about dancing.

"Dancing?" He said shocked. He didn't want to dance with Lizzie. Mainly because, he didn't know how. While Ciel and Lizzie were talking, Sebastian noticed Grell hanging from the ceiling. Ciel caught Sebastian's gaze, and looked over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" He asked warily.

"Dying." Grell replied dizzily. Ciel sighed quickly.

"Sebastian, get him down from there." Sebastian nodded, and quickly got him down. Lizzy looked at him disappointed.

"You took down my decoration." She complained.

"Decoration..?" He asked confused. Lizzy nodded.

"I made a pretty decoration out of him." Sebastian smiled at this.

"I'm afraid he's not a decoration." He said, wishing he _could _turn Grell into a decoration. Elizabeth quickly looked away from Grell, and hugged Ciel. Mai rolled her eyes at this, and patiently looked off somewhere else, distracting herself.

"I can't wait to dance Ciel! And I have a lot more pretty outfits for everyone!" The 4 servants- Mai being included- anime sweat dropped. Elizabeth grabbed the rope around Grells neck, and dragged him off. Everyone stared after her. Ciel then silently stalked off to his study's, Sebastian following behind. Mai turned to everyone else almost disbelieving.

"Quite a difference in personality, huh?" She said slightly amused. The three nodded.

"Yes, they are quite different aren't they? But, he's his betrothed, so he has to put up with it." Finny said, feeling bad for him. Mai couldn't find it in her to feel sorry for him, not now.

"Good for him." She muttered before walking through the door, under the stairs, and down the dark hall, leading to the glass double doors that opened up to the garden. She smiled for the second time today, and took a deep breath, happy to be breathing fresh air. It was cold outside, but still warm enough to be comfortable. Mai walked around the garden, following little trails, looking at various plants, and flowers, and there were even trees. They towered over the garden, but it wasn't threatening. It just made it that more peaceful. Mai walked under the shade of a tall oak tree, and sat in the soft grass. The sun was in the middle of the sky, slowly falling into sun set. She looked out at the garden, and remembered what she thought earlier. It seem as though the garden has a million secrets to share, but many mysteries of it's own.

"What secrets do you hold little garden?" She said in a hushed voice.

'_I hold many secrets. Many of which you cannot know.'_ Mai jumped, and stared at the garden wide eyed. She then started to look around, not knowing who was talking.

"Did..did you just ta-talk to me?" Her voice came out half strangled. Everything was silent for a moment, almost as if the world has gone into a complete stand still. Mai wondered if she only imagined the garden talking.

'_Yes, only to you, can I speak._' The garden replied. The garden had a calm, almost soothing voice of a women. It sounded peaceful.

"That's amazing..." She trailed off, still thinking she might be crazy. "What _can_ you tell me?" She asked, wondering if the garden understood her strange attitude towards Sebastian. The garden was silent. "Hello?"

"Who do you seem to be talking to miss Hondan?" Sebastian's voice came behind her. Mai jumped, and looked over her shoulder. Sebastian stood behind her, looking worried. Mai flushed, embarrassed.

"I was just talking to myself. I tend to do that every now and again..." It was a petty excuse, but she was relieved when Sebastian didn't question her.

"Miss Hondan, I need you to come with me." He instructed, offering a hand to her. Mai looked at his hand, and tried not to shudder away. She slowly got up on her own.

"Where to? It I might ask?" Sebastian smiled wryly.

"I need your help." Was all he said before walking back to the manner. Mai quickly followed, clearly confused. He lead her up the stairs, and to Ciel's studies. He opened the door, allowing Mai in first. Ciel was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, looking out the window. He turned around when he heard the door open. He glanced at Mai, then quickly looked away angrily.

"What is the meaning of this Sebastian?" He demanded, not knowing why he had brought her, of all people, here. Sebastian looked at him with a mixture of innocence, and pure amusement.

"You had said I was _too tall_ to dance with, so I thought miss Hondan would be a good substitution." Mai and Ciel looked at him shocked.

"I am not going to dance with him." Mai said each word low, and distinct. Ciel seemed to agree.

"I refuse to dance with her." He looked angry, and very embarrassed. Sebastian shook his head.

"My lord, we are very short on time, and lady Elizabeth desires a dance." He moved Mai closer to Ciel, and she cringed at his touch, and she cringed away from Ciel. They stood right in front of each other, closer than an arms length. They two looked very embarrassed, and they looked at each other with hate filled eyes.

"I would rather be pushed under the carriage then to dance with him, let alone touch him." Mai growled. Ciel narrowed his eyes at her.

"You didn't seem to have a problem with that when you threatened, and injured me." He said in a low voice. Mai's eyes widened for a fraction of a second. She had completely forgotten about his wound. The red line-that was vibrant red, and bloody- was all but invisible. The vibrant red turned into a dull pink, almost as if he had never gotten hurt to begin with. Mai looked at him with a gaze that could have made anyone burst into flames.

"It's not like you didn't deserve it." She replied in a cutting voice. The two glared at each other until Sebastian hit a ruler on the side of Ciel's desk.

"Please, I ask that you two put aside your differences for one moment, and focus on the task." He said wary, and serious. Mai crossed her arms, planning on saying no, when she caught Sebastian's expression. It read, '_if you don't dance with him, I'll kill you._' Although, she knew he wouldn't really kill her, but, she didn't want to push him in that general direction. Mai sighed.

"Fine." She reluctantly put a hand on his waist, and held his hand with the other. She grit her teeth, and tried not to bite her arms off. Ciel looked like he might set himself on fire, and put a hand on her waist, and held her hand. Maybe she was imagining it, but, Mai thought she felt his pulse quicken under the palm of her hand. Sebastian then instructed them how to dance; it ended well, although the beginning was tragic. They were both terrible dancers. Mai accidentally stepped on his foot, and Ciel tripped on the edge of the rug, causing them to both fall. Their faces were very close to each other, only a few inches apart. They quickly scrambled to get up, and-even more reluctant than before- continued to dance. Soon, they got it down, and Sebastian excused Mai. She smiled, and said thank you, her voice saturated with relief. Ciel glared at her as she left. He then sighed, and forced himself to forget it, getting ready for the new torture lined up for him. Which was dancing with Elizabeth. Sebastian noticed his frown and said,

"My lord, you need to smile. It's rude to a lady." He tried to fix his features, only to get his hand slapped away. "My lord..."

As Mai was walking down the hall, she subconsciously tugged at the bows in her hair, until she realized one of them were missing. 'Must of dropped it in his study's...' She thought grimly before reluctantly turning around, and walking back to find it. When she got to his door, she heard him talking. She didn't want to interrupt, so she patiently waited, while- more or less- unintentionally listening to the conversation.

"I can't." Ciel replied in a quiet voice. "I..I've forgotten how to smile like I'm having fun." Mai could hear pain in his voice, although it wasn't quite evident. Everything she felt for the past half an hour suddenly dissolved. She wouldn't admit this to him in a million years, but, she felt terrible. Mai quickly walked away from the studies, and went down stairs and waited next to Finny, Bard, and Mey-rin, curious how the dance with Elizabeth will turn out. Grell was upset, because he was in a blue dress, and not red. Mey-rin helped Elizabeth put her dress on, and Mai helped with her ribbons. Once they were done, they turned around and saw Grell stand at the edge of the window.

"If I can't wear red, I'm going to kill myself!" Nobody moved to stop him, or let alone say anything. Grell turned around embarrassed and said,

"Aren't you going to stop me?" Everyone looked downcast.

"It's your turn to look pretty." Elizabeth said to Mey-rin, trying to take off her glasses.

"No, I'm _really _far sighted, and I can't see without them." She said, quickly backing away. Suddenly Ciel came down the stairs, and Elizabeth all but forgot Mey-rin existed. Elizabeth's happy expression suddenly turned livid.

"Ciel. Where is the ring I bought you?" Everyone shuddered away from her.

"The ring I have is fine."

"No! I worked hard to make sure everything was cute!" She yelled, throwing a fit. 'Over a ring?' Mai thought critically. '_A bit over the top if you ask me._' They two then got into an argument, until Elizabeth took his blue ring off his thumb.

"Elizabeth hand that back to me. Now." He said in a dark voice. Elizabeth shook her head.

"No! I hate this ring!" She yelled, throwing it on the floor. It shattered into small pieces. The room was dead silent, no one making a sound or moving a muscle. Ciel was infuriated. He quickly moved over to Elizabeth with his hand raised. '_No._' Mai thought, quickly moving in front of Elizabeth just as he was about to hit her. Instead of hitting Elizabeth, he hit Mai. Mai stepped back, and put a hand on her cheek. He left a dark shadow of his hand on her right cheek. Ciel looked horrified, as did everyone else. Mai just glared at him, trying not to tear up. The pain was excruciating.

"Mai..." He said in disbelief.

"I'm fine." She said in a hard voice, walking over to Finny. He comfortingly wrapped his arm around her. Without another glance at Mai, Ciel walked over and picked up his ring.

"Ciel...I..." Elizabeth trailed off, not knowing what to say. Ciel slowly walked over to the open window overlooking the front of the manner, and tossed his ring out. Everyone looked at him further surprised. "Ciel! Why would you.." Ciel shook his head.

"It doesn't matter. It was just an old ring. Besides, even without it, I'm still head of the Phantomhives." Everyone looked at him shocked, except Mai. She wondered how they could manage to be more surprised. Sebastian smiled in amusement. Mai couldn't help but glare at him. How on earth could he find any of this amusing? Elizabeth started crying, feeling bad about what she has done. Ciel looked at her warmly, which surprised Mai. "Come now, how long are you going to cry?"

"Ciel..." She looked up at him with tears streaming down her face. He offered her a hand,

"I believe we have a dance if I remember correctly." Somehow, by some miracle, he smiled a small smile. Mai tried to keep herself from looking further shocked. Suddenly she heard a violin playing, and she looked up to see Sebastian playing a violin.

"I want to help too!" Grell said, running to the foot of the stairs. He began to sing in a voice that belonged to an opera singer. Mai – along with everyone else- couldn't help but look at him dumbfounded. Anymore surprises, and they might faint. Ciel and Elizabeth began to dance, both seeming to have a good time. While the two were busy, Mai sneaked off to another room so she could complain about her cheek in peace. She walked out to the garden again, and sat under the oak tree. She smiled when she saw the garden again.

"Hello garden." She greeted quietly, looking over her shoulder to make sure no one sneaked up behind her again.

'_That is very brave what you did child._' The garden said in a soothing voice. It sounded as if she were proud of her, which, she sure she was.

"Thank you. ...I just couldn't stand to let him hurt her, even if what she did was wrong." The garden said nothing in reply. Probably didn't have anything to say.

'_You have a good heart._' She said suddenly. Mai smiled, feeling warmed by her compliment.

"Thank you." She said fervently. The two were quiet for awhile. "Little garden..." She trailed off, trying to word her question correctly. "Do you know why I'm suddenly not taking a like to Sebastian?" She asked hopefully. The garden was quiet for a moment.

'_I'm afraid it's a secret I cannot tell you. But, I believe I can tell you this much; everything is not what it seems. Not on the surface.' _Mai stared at the sky while she said this, trying to absorb the information. 'On the surface...' '_Have you ever wondered why the child in there wears an eye patch over his right eye?'_ the garden asked, breaking through her reverie. Mai looked at the ground.

"No.. I just assumed there was something wrong with his eye." She replied confused.

_'Everything is not what it seems_.' The garden said again. Mai looked up at the sky again, and noted that the sun was behind the trees, the stars were beginning to make themselves known, and the moon was shining brightly. She sat there for who knows how long, enjoying the outdoors, and just being outside in general. The air was still warm, so it didn't bother her to lie against the tree, and close her eyes. She was surprisingly tired from the days events. In her dream, she dreamed of Sebastian and Ciel. She saw Ciel sitting on a stone bench in the middle of a strange place, and Sebastian was leaning towards his neck with sharp teeth. Her eyes widened in fear.

"Wait! What are you doing? Stop!" She cried, trying to move her arms, and legs. She was frozen where she was. She couldn't even close her eyes. She saw Ciel's eye slowly dim as Sebastian seemed to be taking something from him. "STOP!" She screamed in a pleading voice. He didn't seem to hear her. Ciel suddenly went limp, and Mai felt her heart shatter. "No!" She jolted upright, and quickly looked around. She was back in her room, the moon still high in the sky. She put a hand on her heart, which was beating very quickly. Mai couldn't stop the wave of emotion that came on to her, and she began to cry soundlessly.

'_Everything is not what it seems_' The words repeated soundlessly through her mind.


	4. The search Part 1

Mai couldn't fall asleep for the rest of the night, let alone get control of her crying. The dream was so horrible, but why should she care? It's not like she cares what happens to Ciel. But, the thought of him dying is unbearable. Mai wasn't sure how long she had been crying, but soon, she managed to stop the tears. She looked out the window, and saw the sun slowly rising, filling the sky with vibrant colors. Sooner than she would have thought, Sebastian opened the door to her room- not realizing she was awake – to wake her up for the day. Mai quickly tried to wipe what was left of her tears away. Sebastian looked at her with worried eyes.

"Good morning miss Hondan." He greeted quietly, walking over to her bed. "Is something bothering you?" Mai internally cursed herself for being weak and letting out her emotions.

"I'm fine." She replied in a hoarse voice. 'Ugh, it even sounds like I've been crying.' She thought frustrated. Sebastian lifted his hand, moving to catch a lone tear that was in the corner of her eye. Mai quickly slapped his hand away, looking at him with hard eyes. "I said I was fine." She said in a hard, hate filled voice. Mai didn't trust Sebastian anymore. Not that she really trusted him before, but now she was sure. He can't be trusted. Sebastian looked at her shocked, before smiling to himself, as if there was some joke she was missing.

"My apologies." He continued smiling, although his eyes were narrowed. Mai glared at him. He didn't look sorry at all. Before she could tell him to get out, Sebastian quickly left the room, closing the door behind him. She sat in bed for a few minutes, trying to organize her thoughts. So far, she can't trust Sebastian, the garden-that can only talk to her- is only giving her hints, She and everyone else had to deal with the psycho maniac known as Grell, and now she wasn't sure what to make of the mix messages she was getting about Ciel. Mai sighed, and made herself get out of bed, knowing that she couldn't stay there all day. Just as she was about to leave the room, she remembered she still had the ridiculous dress on. She looked around the room for any sign of her uniform, though she would rather wear the dress.

"Where could it be...?" Mai eyed the small, wooden closet and walked over to it. When she opened the door, she saw her uniform hanging on a wire hanger, her shoes and ribbons on the floor of the closet. "Too bad I can't wear this all day." She grumbled, looking down at the frilly blue dress. Mai quickly slipped out of her outfit, and put on her uniform. After being sure everything looked alright- not that she cared, but she didn't want to walk out, and find that she put her uniform on backwards- she quietly left the room, hoping to find Finny. As she began making her way down the stairs, she couldn't help but thinking about her throbbing cheek. '_stupid _Ciel...' She thought before stopping dead in her tracks. Ciel was just at the foot of the stairs, talking to Sebastian. '_You can do this_' She tried to encourage herself to be brave. Mai set her chin, and stood taller, and began making her way down the stairs, avoiding looking at both Ciel and Sebastian. Ciel didn't bother to look at Mai, and Sebastian only glanced at her. She quickly walked under the stairs, and headed towards the kitchen. When she was safely in the kitchen, breathed out a sigh of relief, and smiled when she saw Bard. He was setting out ingredients for breakfast, though she hoped he wouldn't be the one making it.

"Good morning Bard." She greeted halfheartedly. Bard looked up and smiled widely.

"Hey Mai," He greeted casually- as always. He looked at the ingredients set out, and began dumping it all into one big bowl. Mai looked at him skeptically,

"Are you sure you should be cooking like that?" '_Then again... if he poisons Ciel, I'd be fine with it.'_

"I don't think it matters much." He replied, reaching over the small counter to grab a wooden spoon to mix the mush in the bowl. Mai sat in a tall chair, and watched as Bard experimented with different ingredients. It was down right hilarious, but Mai couldn't risk laughing. She didn't want the others to come in and ask why she was laughing to the point of tears. When Bard finished putting the ingredients together, he looked at the oven, and then over in a shadowed corner that contained a small pile of dynamite. Mai's eyes widened despite herself.

"Why do you keep sticks of dynamite in the kitchen?" '_Or better yet, how does Sebastian not know about this?'_ Bard laughed to himself.

"I use it to cook food faster." Mai almost interjected, but then thought of the mess Sebastian would have to clean- or whoever cleans the kitchen- and smiled.

"Good luck to you then." She said cheerfully before walking out of the kitchen and down the hall towards the garden. Just as she placed her hand on the handle of the door, someone spoke to her.

"Miss Hondon, I need you to bring tea to the young master." Mai kept herself from cringing, and looked over at Sebastian with dark eyes.

"Why do you need me to do it?" She asked cynically. Sebastian looked at her with what seemed like pity.

"Miss Hondan, I don't know what happened last night, but I please ask that you don't let it affect your work." Mai looked down with a sigh. He was right, and she knew it.

"I..apologize. My thoughts have been very erratic since this morning." She grudgingly apologized before heading to the kitchen to get the items needed for tea. As Mai knelt down next to the cupboard to grab a platter, she couldn't help but notice Bard with a very dangerous looking flamethrower. She almost dropped the platter.

"Bard? What are you doing with that flamethrower?" Mai asked, her voice rising in panic. Bard only laughed at her reaction.

"Cooking is art! And to make art, you have to use a paintbrush!" Mai looked downcast, his words not really making any sense.

"So what your saying is, your _flamethrower_ is your paintbrush?" Bard slowly began putting on his goggles.

"Yes." He answered simply, aiming the weapon at the meat in front of him. Acting on instinct, Mai shoved all the tea cup and tea leaves from the counter, onto her tray, and dived out of the room. Just as she skidded on the floor, she heard the flamethrower turn on, and saw black swirling smoke come from the kitchen.

_'What is wrong with him?'_ She couldn't help but wonder. Mai slowly got up, and groaned. Two of the three tea cups she piled onto her tray broke, and the canister of tea leaves spilled out. The kettle didn't even have water in it. _'Why me..?_' Mai thought as she slowly scraped together the scattered tea leaves, and pieces of the broken tea set. She balanced the tea kettle in the crook of her arm, and hesitantly walked back into the kitchen. No surprise there; Bard stood in front of what used to be the counter, his hair black and puffy from the flames. There was nothing left of the kitchen but a blackened mess of destruction. She shook her head as she walked over to – what she thought- was the sink. The faucet was blackened, but pretty much survived. Mai filled the tea kettle with hot water, since the stove was burnt into non-existence. She then turned to Bard and asked,

"How does Sebastian not know about the weapons you have? And if he does know, how did you convince him to keep them?" Bard smiled and replied,

"Nah, he just never figured it out."

"Ah ha..." Mai turned back to the tea kettle and saw it was half full. She turned the water off, and carried it by the handle since the water was hot. When she looked up, she flinched back as she saw a shocked and angry Sebastian standing in the blackened door way.

"...What I'm feeling right now... goes beyond anger." He said with a creepy smile. That smile meant, _every man for himself!_ Mai darted out the back door, leaving Bard to his immortal doom.

"Sorry!" She whispered under her breath as she ran up the stairs, trying to keep everything in her hands. By the time she got to Ciel's studies, she was panting. Mai weakly lifted her hand and knocked on his door.

"Come in," A frustrated voice replied after a second. Mai didn't say anything as she stepped in, and saw Ciel glaring down at a newspaper. She quietly put the tea leaves into the kettle, and poured it into a small cup. She walked up behind him, and placed it on his desk. Mai couldn't help but lean over his shoulder and read the article.

'**Jack the ripper terrorizes London' **The letters were written in bold across the page. Ciel looked back at Mai, and she quickly backed away.

"Don't stand so close to me!" He snapped before calling for Sebastian. "Leave." He ordered Mai. Mai gritted her teeth, and tried with all her might not to attack him. She nodded curtly before leaving. As she stepped out the door, she saw Sebastian walk past her and into his masters studies. The door swiftly closed behind him. Mai stood there for a moment, before curiosity got the best of her, and she leaned towards the door.

"The queen has asked us to look into the Jack the ripper case. It appears he is terrorizing prostitutes, and violently murdering them. What I don't understand is, why would he leave such a mess behind? You would think a murderer would want to cover his tracks." Ciel spoke seriously, frustrated with the current situation.

"Shall I get a carriage ready?" Sebastian asked, not sounding worried at all.

"Yes, I want to get to London as soon as possible to investigate the case."

"Yes my lord." Sebastian replied, walking back over to the door. Mai moved away, but Sebastian was too quick. She nearly fell on her face when he opened the door. He glared down at her, before quickly closing the door. He said nothing as he continued to look at her.

"I'm sorry. I was just curious." Mai quickly apologized as she backed away from Sebastian.

"I knew you were listening." He replied before sighing, his eyes looking weary. "Since you know of the case, you might as well come." His voice also sounded wary. Mai crossed her arms.

"I don't want to come. I don't want to be anywhere near that..that thing you call a boy. I refuse." She said, glaring at the floor.

Sebastian glared at her, trying to keep from killing her himself. "You're going. No questions asked." He said in a tone that made it final, no room for arguments. Mai balled her hands into fists.

"Ugh..fine." She turned around and stalked away, not happy about the turn of events. Sebastian quietly stepped back into Ciel's studies.

"Young master, I forgot to mention, miss Mai will be accompanying us." He said it cheerfully, as though it would possibly make it seem less terrible. Ciel first looked shocked, then angered.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" He screamed at him. Mai could hear him all the way down the hallway.

'_glad to know he's just as upset- if not more- as I am.' _Mai thought as she stood near the stairs.

"She could be of some use." Sebastian said in a calm voice, trying to sooth his angry master. Ciel cussed under his breath but finally calmed down.

"Fine. I'll let her come. Madam Red seems to have a liking to her." Sebastian smiled.

"Thank you my lord." He said as he stepped out of the room again. '_That servant. She's a handful._' Sebastian thought as he made his way down the hallway. Mai quickly made her way downstairs, carrying the tray back to the kitchen. She opens the door with a sigh, before gasping. The kitchen was clean, and put back together like new.

"What? Why...how?" Mai stuttered, not understanding how this was humanly possible. '_Forget it. If I think about it too much, I'm going to lose what little peace of mind I have left.'_ She thought grimly as she placed the tray on the white counter. When she walked out of the room, she saw Ciel and Sebastian standing by the door. Sebastian was talking to Finny, Bard, and Mey-rin.

"Take care of the manner while we're gone, and please don't destroy it again" '_There was a first time?' _Mai thought astonished. She subconsciously looked down, and her eyes widened in horror. She was still in her maid uniform. The too tight, too short, vintage lace uniform. The question is, _why_ is she still forced to wear such a thing? She looked back up in time to see Sebastian open the door, and look at Mai, indicating that they had to leave. Mai's face reddened in horror.

"I can't go out in public wearing this!" She yelled, refusing to move from her spot. "I still have some dignity!" The second she finished her sentence, she saw Sebastian place an overcoat on her faster than she would have thought possible. The overcoat covered her entire uniform, saving her eternal humiliation.

"Huh?" She said as she examined the sleeves, and the buttons on the black over coat. "Thanks..." She mumbled under her breath.

"Now then, shall we leave?" Sebastian asked, gesturing to the door. Instinctively Mai wanted to say no, but she knew Sebastian wasn't giving her an option. In answer, Mai walked out the door, waving to Finny before she was out of sight. The three walk out to the carriage, and Sebastian opens the door for the two. Ciel steps in, and Mai follows after.

"We should arrive shortly, so I please ask that you don't kill each other on the way." Sebastian instructed cheerfully. Both Ciel and Mai glared at him as he shut the door. They sat on the other side of each other, neither of them looking at the other. After a moment, the carriage lurched forward. Both Ciel and Mai looked out the window, lost in their own thoughts. After a few minutes,Mai noticed they were looking out the same window, so she looked at the floor instead. The ride seemed to last forever, mainly because neither of them were talking, and the tense atmosphere around them. Despite herself, there was one question that was nagging on the back of her mind. She tried to push it away, but it coming back, demanding to be asked. Mai sighed internally before speaking.

"Why don't you just get rid of me?" She asked, breaking the tense bubble around them. Ciel looked at her, surprised she talked at all. He quickly regained his composure.

"It's rude to put a lady on the street. Even if you are just a servant." He muttered grudgingly. Mai looked at him feeling offended at his words.

"I'm not a lady. I'm a hunter. No more, no less." She replied stubbornly. Ciel's expression was mocking.

"Then why are you a maid?" He asked, intending to push her further.

"It's not like I had much of a choice!" She threw her hands in the air in exaggeration. "I didn't exactly want to do this for a living. I would have been happier if I was with my family so I could have died too!"

"Too bad you didn't. Would have saved me a lot of trouble." Mai began trembling, too angry to even speak. Just then, Mai felt the carriage jerk to the side, pushing Mai and Ciel against the wall. The wind was blowing fiercely, almost like there was a tornado near by. The trees shook violently, it even sent branches flying. Mai barely noticed in her fit of anger. She placed a hand on her wounded cheek, and growled.

"I would be careful what about what you say if I you." Despite the current situation, Ciel looked at her in disbelief.

"Are you threatening me?" He asked, shocked, before he started laughing. Mai looked at him in shock and hateful wonder. She's never heard him laugh before. The wind instantly stopped, leaving the area in a peaceful, calm state.

"You think you can scare me with your words? If you think you can harm me, then you really _are _stupid!" Mai couldn't get past her shock and wonder enough to say that she actually _did_ manage to harm him at one point. And from what he said, it sounded like he thought she was stupid before. But she couldn't find it in herself to be angry at him. The carriage then stopped, and the door quickly opened.

"Young master are you-" Sebastian's statement got cut off when he saw his young master laughing. Mai looked up at him with the same look of astonishment and confusion.

'_I can't believe this ignorant girl got the young master to laugh.' _Sebastian thought to himself as he stood with the door open. Ciel caught Sebastian in the corner of his eye, and immediately stopped laughing. He fake coughed a couple times before stepping out of the carriage. Sebastian and Mai again looked at each other in confusion, until Mai remembered she couldn't trust him, and stepped out of the carriage as well.

The trio walked up to the door of the townhouse, kicking away branches on the way. Sebastian opened the door for the two.

"It'll be nice to get away from the manner for a while. Away from those four." Sebastian said as they made their way up the stairs.

"Yes, it should be nice." He said a bit sarcastically, glaring in Mai's direction. Mai rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, not wanting to put up with him.

They stopped at the end of the hall, and Sebastian opened the door to a small study room. Sebastian and Ciel both looked shocked and downcast. Mai wasn't sure how to react. The room was destroyed, chairs were flipped over, drawers pulled out, and books were scattered across the floor.

"Where do they keep the tea leaves in this house?" A tall figure asked.

"I don't know." The other figure replied, looking inside a vase.

"Madam Red? Lou? What are you doing here?" Madam Red looked up from scavenging inside a drawer, and Lou looked up from his search, his eyes, as always, were closed.

"Why if it isn't my adorable nephew, and his maid. Hello to you too Sebastian." Madam Red greeted cheerfully. Ciel looked embarrassed and infuriated. Mai clenched her hands into fists and stared at the ground. "If you must know, when I heard you were coming to London, I had to see you." Madam Red continued, ignoring the two's reaction. She then looked at Mai's cheek. "My God, what happened to you?" She asked worried. Mai's eyes widened, and she placed a hand on her cheek.

"I fell down the stairs." She said quickly, internally cursing Ciel. Madam Red looked skeptical.

"That's an odd pattern for falling down the stairs." It was in the shape of a hand. Of course it didn't look like she fell down the stairs.

"...I admit it. I was out doing errands with Mey-rin, and someone tried to pick a fight with us, but we managed to escape." '_Why am I even lying for him?'_ Madam Red looked at her with sad eyes.

"You poor little thing. I'm glad your okay." '_Why does she care so much?'_

"Oh, so this is the little maid you kept mentioning." Lou said with a smile.

"You talked about her?" Ciel asked warily, pressing his fingers against his temples.

"Well I just had to. She's so adorable!" Mai felt her face burn in extreme embarrassment. Madam Red looked over at her and smiled. "There's no need for you to be embarrassed dear." This only made her blush deeper.

"Let's move to the dining room." Ciel said, ignoring the whole situation. Everyone followed him out, and walked down the hall into a small room. The main theme was white and blue, which is odd since the manner is filled with dark colors. Sebastian served tea, and Grell stood by Madam Red's side, and Mai grudgingly stood next to Sebastian.

"By the way," Madam Red spoke as she sat down. "did you feel that strong wind a few minutes ago? I thought it was going to blow the townhouse away."

"Yes, it was quite odd wasn't it?" Sebastian said as he poured tea for everyone.

"What makes it more odd, it stopped in an instant. Like a light switch being turned on and off." Lou said as he sipped his tea, his usual smile gone.

"Yes it was a bit windy, but Sebastian could handle it. Isn't that right Sebastian?" Ciel looked over at him with almost mocking eyes. Sebastian smiled and placed a hand over where his heart should be.

"Of course, what kind of butler would I be if I couldn't protect my master?" Mai sighed to herself, very annoyed with the two.

"Now then, let's discuss the case. The queen has demanded that I look into the murder case. They call him, Jack the ripper. He murders prostitutes in the night, terrorizing all of London. I came here sooner than expected so I could see this for myself. "

"Yes, but will you be brave enough to stomach the crime scene?" Lou asks, his smile now back.

"What do you mean by that?" Ciel asks suspiciously as Lou slowly walks over to him.

"Certainly the scene of the crime will be horrific. All the blood and guts everywhere. It's enough to drive any sane person mad. Are you prepared to see that?" Lou asks quietly, placing a hand on the side of Ciel's head. Ciel looked at him with unemotional eyes.

"I am head of the Phantomhives and service to my queen. Don't ask such foolish questions." There wasn't a hint of emotion in his voice. Lou stepped away, his smile never faltering.

"Of course, please forgive me." He sounded more amused than regretful. Mai couldn't help but find the conversation interesting. They react and do things so differently than normal people. But she still couldn't help but glare at him. She then looked to the side and saw Sebastian was doing the same. After everyone finished their tea, they moved to the carriage and headed towards the courtyard, where the scene of the most recent attack was. Madam Red, Lou, and Ciel talked along the way. Mai just looked out the window, feeling bored. She didn't even want to be there to begin with. '_Well you know what they say... curiosity killed the cat.'_ She thought grimly. The carriage soon stops, and they step out one by one. There's a crowd surrounding the court yard, and Scotland yard was on the scene. The rest of the group stayed back as Ciel and Sebastian walked up to a man from Scotland yard. He was dressed in a tan overcoat, and was wearing a tan detective hat. He looks up from papers, and see's Ciel standing in front of him.

"Hey, a kid like you shouldn't be here." He sounded worried. Mai was close enough to where she could hear. She wasn't sure if he was worried for him, or that he might get in trouble.

"I'm here to see the body." Ciel replies indifferently, brushing away the man's concern. The man flinches back like he got shocked.

"THE BODY? Surely you have to be kidding me!" Just then a taller man walked up behind the detective. He wore a top hat, which indicated he was head detective.

"Phantomhive, what are you doing here?" He sounds frustrated and annoyed. The man looks at the head detective shocked.

"You know this kid?" Ciel looks amused, smiling mockingly at the two.

"I hear your not doing well on the case, so I came to intervene. You know, orders." He said as he held up the letter from the queen, the official red stamp on the back in pure amusement. Ciel then took the papers from the man and looks them over. "I see you don't have any new leads on the case." The head detective quickly took the papers back.

"Scotland yard can handle this case, I assure you. There's no need for you to interfere." By the tone of his voice, Mai guessed this wasn't the first time Scotland yard has had to deal with him.

"Well, make sure you end it. Let's go Sebastian." Sebastian was grinning the entire time, finding the whole conversation to be humors.

"Certainly," Sebastian replies as they walk away. The group follows after, leaving behind the baffled detective and angry head detective.

"What now my dear?" Madam Red asks as they take their leave.

"Now we go to the only person that could be of use. Speaking of being of use..." Ciel quickly glares in Mai's direction, but brushes it off to the side, having more important things to do.

"My God, you can't mean..." Lou said horrified. Mai looks at him almost frightened. Where could they possibly go that would scare even him?

"Yes," Ciel replies quietly. Mai looks back and fourth at the two, not having the slightest idea what their talking about. Everyone else seemed to know. She crossed her arms, feeling left out. The group continues walking until they stop in front of a creepy..funeral parlor? There was a sign above them; it was written in big purple letters, and had a skull. The undertaker.


	5. The search Part 2

"So...where are we?" Lou asked casually. Madam Red looked at him feeling miffed.

"You don't know? THEN WHAT WAS ALL THAT ABOUT?" She yelled at him. Mai couldn't help but wonder the same thing. Her mouth twitched as she fought away a smile; they're too funny sometimes.

"It's a funeral parlor run by a friend of my young master." Sebastian explained as he opened the door for everyone. They tentatively step in, quickly looking around the dark room.

"If we want answers, this is the place." Ciel sais, not at all bothered about being there. Just as they all file in, a creepy laugh echoes throughout the parlor. The undertaker peers out of a coffin, his yellow eyes shining brightly. He had long white hair, and a scar across his face. His bangs quickly covered his eyes again.

"Welcome my lord. Do I finally have the honor of fitting you for one of me coffins today?" Everyone looked downcast and frightened except Ciel.

"No, I'm here because-" The undertaker cut him off, placing a hand on the side of his face. Mai noticed he had long, black nails. She tried to fight away a shudder.

"I already know why you're here." He said, smiling creepy. '_..what the..?' _Mai couldn't stop looking at the scar on his face. It was somehow unnerving.

"Oh, so this is your cover up business." Lou said like he's actually impressed. "So tell me, how much does it cost for information?" The undertaker quickly got in Lou's face, which made him flinch back.

"I have no need for money. If you want information, you have to...tell me... a good joke. And all the information you want is yours." The undertaker laughed hysterically to himself.

"Lunatic..." Ciel mumbled to himself. _'Agreed.'_ Mai thought to herself. Everyone then told a series of bad jokes, none of them being funny in any way, shape, or form. Madam Red's wasn't child appropriate, so the undertaker but a white mask with a big red X over her mouth.

"Guess it can't be helped..." Sebastian said warily.

"Sebastian?" Ciel and Mai said at the same time, causing them both to be annoyed.

"Please step outside, and no matter what happens, do not attempt to listen." Sebastian gave everyone the death glare for good measure. Everyone quickly went outside, and waited, anime sweat dropping the entire time. It was silent for a moment, until the ground shook under them from laughter, and the sign from above fell. Sebastian opened the door with a grin on his face.

"I think he'll tell us everything we want to know." Everyone nervously re-entered the funeral parlor, and the undertaker was strewn across a coffin, still laughing. He then got himself up.

"I haven't heard a joke that funny in decades." He said to himself as he made tea for everyone. Ciel sat on a coffin, Mai knelt on the floor, and everyone else stood while the undertaker handed out beakers of tea.

"It's odd to get customers with missing pieces." The undertaker began as he handed out the tea. Sebastian looked at the undertaker darkly.

"Missing?" The undertaker continued smiling, like there was nothing wrong.

"Yes, the uterus seems to be missing from all my clients." Sebastian nodded and began to talk about area's around London, where the murderer could possibly be, where the murders were committed, and time differences between each.

"You might have a point." the undertaker said slowly as he walked over to Mai, and grabed her arm, pulling her up. Mai only looked at him with wide eyes, since she couldn't kick him into a wall or anything- not that she really could. He placed a hand on her shoulder, enjoying her reaction.

"You see, first he slits her throat," He said in dark amusement, making a dramatization of the murders. "He then rips open the her lower part, and takes out all of her womanly parts." The Undertaker made a light circle under her stomach, Mai being as stiff as a board the entire time. She didn't like to be touched by people she didn't know. Mai also had to keep herself from slapping him silly from touching her near places he shouldn't. He quickly moved away from her, and looked at Ciel, again amused.

"Will you be able to solve the case?" He asked with a mocking edge.

"I am bound by the queen, and the name of my family." Ciel's voice now emotionless.

_'Take your job seriously enough?'_ Mai thought sarcastically. Sebastian narrowed his eyes at her, like he could guess what she was thinking. Sebastian then opened the door and everyone quietly left without another word. The undertaker could still be heard laughing as they left the parlor. Grell drove the carriage while everyone else talked. Sebastian, Lou, and Madam Red talked about suspects, and the season. All the doctors or anyone with a medical license will be gone by the end of the week, which is the end of the season. If they need to find the killer, they have to do it by the end of the week. Sebastian leaned over to Ciel and whispered seductively,

"Shall I make a list of suspects?" Ciel smiled deviously and replied,

"Yes, compile a list of every suspect you can find."

"Then I shall get started immediately." Madam Red lookd at him skeptically, over hearing their conversation.

"How are you going to make a list of suspects so soon?" Sebastian smiled amused.

"What kind of butler would I be if I couldn't accomplish such a simple task?" _'A normal one?'_ Mai thought, still staring at the ceiling. Sebastian then kicked the carriage door open, and turned to everyone. "I will be back by the time you reach the manner." Ciel shooed him away, and Sebastian cheerfully jumped out. Madam Red and Lou look out the window in shock.

"HE DOES KNOW WE'RE STILL MOVING RIGHT?" Madam Red yelled in disbelief. Mai looked at the door astonished. _'What is he...?'_ She thought to herself, her brows furrowing in frustration.

"Sebastian will take care of it." Ciel said, sounding bored. The rest of the ride was silent, no one really having much to say. Finally the group arrived back at the manner, and Ciel silently opened the door. Sebastian was already there, welcoming everyone.

"Welcome back everyone, I do hope you enjoyed your trip back to the manner. I have prepared tea in the drawing room." Madam Red, Lou, and Mai look at Sebastian in shock.

"Come now, even you couldn't get that done." Madam Red exclaimed. Sebastian untied the ribbon around the scroll, and began reading off the list of suspects. Where they were, what they were doing, who they were with, the time, and if they were part of a cult. Ciel smiled deviously while he stood by the stairs. Lou looked somewhat shocked, and Madam Red... there were no words. A small heart appeared by Grell, and Mai looked at Sebastian with wide eyes, but quickly composed herself. She shrugged her shoulders, and decided not to care. After he finished listing off a couple of suspects, he drops the list.

"I narrowed it down to one suspect." Sebastian finished at last. Madam Red put a hand on her hip and smiles deviously.

"Are you sure your a butler, and not a secret military agent?" Sebastian also smiled, and looked at her with seductive eyes.

"You see...my lady...I'm merely a butler to the core." Again he placed a hand where his heart should be. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Night came around, and everyone headed out to the carriage once more. The only person not accompanying them was Grell, and the rest of the servants. The group was all dressed up, most in disguises. Sebastian was dressed as Ciel's tutor- glasses and all. His eyes even seemed to be a different color, more of a tan/red. Madam Red and Lou were dressed as themselves, just going in simple, classical clothing. Mai had to borrow a dress from Madam Red, which was a little big, but not by much. Madam Red pleaded with Ciel to let her come, ignoring Mai's contradictions. After a few minutes of debating, Ciel finally allowed her to come, since it was odd for Madam Red to ever plead for anything.

Mai's dress was violet red, with a black frilly border, Across her chest was violet vintage lace, but there was black cloth behind it this time, so she didn't have to worry about tying it. The sleeves only went to her shoulders, so she had to wear black elbow length gloves as a substitute. Finally, Ciel was dressed as a girl. The first time Mai saw him, was something she'll never forget. Mai was walking aimlessly down the upstairs hallway, dusting random objects while Sebastian was helping Ciel with his outfit. Which never made sense to her. Why on earth would he need help with something like that? Just as she passed Ciel's door, she heard him cry out in pain. Mai instantly froze in her tracks, and listened intently to the sounds on the other side of the door. She heard him cry out again, and it sounded as though he were being tortured.

"S-Sebas..tian..." She could barely make out his words.

"I'm almost done my lord." Sebastian replied sympathetically. Mai felt heat flood her face, and she blushed violently as she quickly opened the door. She wasn't sure what she was going to do, but she knew she had to do _something_. Hopefully she'd catch Sebastian in the act, and have a decent excuse to kill him. Mai stood in the doorway, and saw Sebastian tightening a corset on Ciel. Over in the corner of the room, she saw a fluffy pink dress on hanger. It took a moment to realize that Ciel wasn't being molested or anything of the sort. But what really shocked her was, she was almost glad he was okay. Also to her intense surprise, she started laughing. In fact, she doubled over in laughter. Humor definitely won over embarrassment. Ciel blushed furiously, and Sebastian threw her out of the room. Which was fine with her, because she had to bury her face in a pillow to control her laughter. Even now as they filed into the carriage, she couldn't stop her spams of giggles.

Ciel wore a long haired wig, which happened to be the same color as his blueish black hair. It was done in two long, loose curled pigtails, which went down to his waist. He then wore a pink and white dress, and it had a small black and white striped bow tie in the middle. He also wore a pink and white choker, with a long pink ribbon tied to the side of it. There was a puffy pink rose on the bow tie, and it also bordered the pink top hat he was wearing. One of the pink roses covered his right eye.

_ 'Have you ever wondered why the child wears an eye patch over his right eye?'_ The secret garden's words ran through Mai's mind as she eyed the rose. But then she took in the expression on his face, and his overall outfit, and put a hand over her mouth as she giggled again. Ciel gave her a look that would have made anyone push up daises.

"I'm going to kill you..." He muttered icily under his breath. Mai looked out the window- not hearing his comment-, and saw the lights of the Viscounts manner looming up ahead. The viscount was the only person left on the suspect on the list without an alibi. Not to mention the fact that he had a medical license. He fit the role perfectly for Jack the ripper. The carriage slowly began to stop in front of the manner, and Mai allowed herself to shudder. The very place gave her the chills. Ciel, Madam Red, Lou, and Mai slowly filed out of the carriage, while Sebastian held the door open.

"Remember, we have to catch the Viscount. No matter what." Ciel said in a serious business like tone. He crossed his arms, and grimaced at the upcoming horror. Mai's mouth twitched as she tried not to smile again. It was impossible to take Ciel seriously in that dress. Sebastian gave Mai a stern look, and she immediately frowned. After a moments silence, Madam Red grabbed Ciel and pulled him into a death hug.

"SO CUTE! Super cute!" She gushed as she hugged Ciel. Ciel tried to struggle out of her grasp, while Sebastian and Mai stood by, watching them mind boggled. Finally when he escaped, he looked at Madam Red chagrined.

"So...Why is my role to be playing as your niece?" Madam Red didn't look at all affected by his expression or tone.

"Because I've always wanted a girl." She replied cheerfully.

"THAT'S WHY I'M DRESSED AS A GIRL?" Ciel yelled furious. Madam Red got closer and said in a low whisper,

"You don't want people to know your from the Phantomhives do you?" Ciel's eye widened for a fraction of a second, looking worried. Mai couldn't help but feel worried for him too. Which was completely irrational.

"No one is going to find out. Now let's go before I change my mind." He replied coldly, walking ahead of everyone into the Viscounts manner. Everyone trailed behind, looking around the manner for anything suspicious. Whether it's be a shadow, or a rustle in the bushes. The front double doors are held open by two servants standing on either side of each other. They were dressed in a simple black suit and white gloves. Nobody payed any attention to them as they walked in the large manner. The first thing Mai noticed, was the huge ball room in front of them. There seemed to be over a hundred people dancing in the middle of the dance floor to classical music. _'This is going to be a nightmare.' _Mai thought, already feeling annoyed.

Ciel looked around at everyone-but not acknowledging Mai's presence- and nodded once. Everyone else nodded in silent agreement, and went their separate ways. Madam Red and Lou went off towards the crowd of people, while Sebastian and Ciel went off to find the viscount. Mai looked back and fourth between Madam Red and Ciel, looking conflicted. Immediately Madam Red was surrounded by admirers, which made Mai sick to her stomach. But she didn't want to put up with Ciel either... After a moments thought, she sighed and mumbled under her breath,

"What did Madam Red get me into?" As she quickly went after Ciel and Sebastian. The only good thing about going with them is, she can make fun of Ciel and he can't do anything about it. Just as she caught up to them, she heard Ciel talking about his fiancee.

"I really do not want my fiancee to see me like this." He exasperated as he walked. Sebastian smiled at the thought, finding it to be very funny. Mai rolled her eyes, caring less if his Elizabeth saw him wearing a dress. As the three quickly walked, Mai picked up a high voice in the background, complimenting others on their dresses, and accessories. _'Ugh, could she be any louder?'_ Mai thought, slightly picking up the pace to get away from that voice.

"There's a lot of pretty dresses here! SO CUTE~!" Ciel and Sebastian stopped dead in their tracks, and quickly looked behind them, their expression set in a mask of horror. Mai looked at the two oddly, before she looked behind herself, and in the middle of a big crowd was the girl with the high voice. Elizabeth.

Ciel started visibly shaking, looking like he was having a panic attack.

"S-s-s-sebastian" He dropped his voice to a shaky whisper.

"M-my lady, please be quieter!" Sebastian exclaimed, also dropping his voice to a whisper. Mai put a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle. Going with them was the best choice so far. Far more entertaining. "Let's go that way first." Sebastian continued, grabbing Ciel's wrist and dragging him to the other side of the ball room. Just after a couple steps, a voice was heard behind them.

"Ah!" Elizabeth called in an admiring tone. "THAT DRESS THAT CHILD IS WEARING IS SO CUTE!" Elizabeth yelled from the crowd of people. Sebastian and Ciel began walking at an alarming pace, desperate to get away from Elizabeth. Ciel then looked behind him, almost hesitating whether to explain the situation to her or not.

"You can't, My Lady... come this way." Sebastian said, as if guessing what he was going to do. Mai just merely watched, not sure what good she'd be anyways. Sebastian and Ciel then hid behind a table with white cloth and ribbons.

"Huh? Where did that child go?" Elizabeth exclaimed, quickly looking around her. Mai also looked around, not paying attention to where they were going.

"Where did they go?" Mai whispered to herself, looking intently around the room while trying to avoid being caught by Elizabeth.

"Miss Hondan." Sebastian whispered from behind the white table. Mai walked over to the table, and crouched down to hide herself from view.

"Why is that person here!" Ciel yelled in a hushed voice. Mai was about to give him a dark look, when she saw him looking at Elizabeth. _'Oh'_ She thought to herself, realizing he wasn't talking about her. "Anyways, let's go to where the ladies are..." Ciel then caught Madam Red on the other side of the ball room, and saw she was enjoying herself. _'SHE IS TOTALLY ENJOYING HERSELF HERE!' _Ciel thought in shock.

"How strange.. For your fiancee to be here is quite unexpected." Sebastian commented, breaking through Ciel's reverie.

"Regardless if the disguise...If we meet..."

"You'll be found out." Sebastian finished for him.

"If the viscount discovers me, I won't be able to investigate!"

"Further more, everyone here will find that the 'Young Mistress' is in fact a Young Master." Sebastian said, adding on to the already awful situation. Ciel looked downcast, and gave Sebastian a look that said, 'You have got to be kidding me.' '_Ha, maybe it's a sign.'_ Mai thought, feeling a mixture of fear for Ciel, and amusement at the whole situation.

"IF PEOPLE FIND OUT I'M DRESSED LIKE THIS, I'LL BE THE ULTIMATE HUMILIATION FOR THE PHANTOMHIVE FAMILY! Ciel cried feeling chagrined. He clutched Mai's skirt in his panic, though he meant to grab the table cloth. Mai blushed a bright red, and faked coughed a couple times. Ciel looked down, and saw he had a handful of Mai's skirt. He instantly dropped it, blushing a light pink himself. "If it comes to that, I'd rather die!" He continued as though nothing had happened. Ciel's statement brought back Mai's latest nightmare, which felt like a slap in the face. And she knew what _that_ felt like... "Anyway we cannot-"

"Viscount Druitt is so handsome tonight!" A women talked excitedly, cutting Ciel off. "His light golden hair is like golden thread!" Ciel and Mai peeked over the side of the table, and saw a small group of women talking about the Viscount. "He's so young!" Mai felt herself turn an odd shade of green. She didn't like fan girls. They always made her sick.

"Miss Hondan, are you alright?" Sebastian sounded genuinely concerned, but Mai knew better.

"Ugh..fan girls." She replied warily, not wanting to get into more detail.

"Ah, yes well, Viscount Druitt is very popular, and is well known for his grand balls. Which makes him the perfect suspect as Jack the ripper."

"I'm going to go greet him." Ciel said suddenly, making Mai look at him like he was crazy. Ciel and Sebastian stood up when they were sure Elizabeth was out of sight, and Sebastian whispered intently,

"If there's a man beside you, he'll have his guard up. So I'll be here waiting for you." Just then he eyed Mai, and smiled deviously. "Of course miss Hondan shall accompany you." Mai looked at Sebastian like he's lost his mind.

"I am not going with him. I didn't even want to come at all!" She yelled a bit too loud, earning a few glances from people standing near by.

"Miss Hondan, please keep your voice down. I cannot go with the Young Master and protect him, only you can. Not only is it your job to be the Phantomhive family maid, it is also your job to protect the Young Master." He then gave her a look that meant 'If you don't protect him I'll kill you.' Mai huffed, and crossed her arms.

"Fine. Okay, I'll go with him." She said, sounding defeated. Ciel would have interjected as well, but to be honest, he didn't want to have to deal with the Viscount alone. The very thought made him want to shudder. Sebastian then turned to Ciel.

" Please act like a lady like I have taught you." He instructed briskly.

"I know..." Ciel replied, thinking back on all the horrid lessons Sebastian and Madam Red had put him through. Ciel then made his way over to the Viscount, and Mai silently followed behind. Just when they were in hearing distance- and maneuvered around all of his admires- Ciel shakily lifted his skirt slightly, and curtsied.

"G-good evening Viscount." He greeted in a high, girly voice. Mai smiled but didn't giggle or laugh out loud like she wanted to.

"AHHHH! FOUND HER~!" Elizabeth yelled from across the room.

"Damn it!" Ciel yelled, looking fear stricken. He then quickly left the Viscount, blending into the crowd. Mai quickly followed behind, her heart was pounding in her chest from the 'cat and mouse' game. Ciel, obviously in this situation, being the mouse. "And I was so close too!"

"The child in front! Please wait!" Elizabeth called, quickly pursuing him. As Mai and Ciel ran through the crowd, Sebastian's words ran through her mind. _'Not only is it your job to be the Phantomhive family maid, it is also your job to protect the Young Master.'_ Without a second though, Mai grabbed Ciel's arm and pulled him off to the side.

"This way My Lady." She said, for once being serious. She pulled him across the room, and stopped when she saw a waiter holding glasses of sparkling lemonade. "Excuse me," Mai said, catching his attention. "can you please give a glass of lemonade to that lady over there?" She asked, pointing over to Elizabeth. The waiter smiled politely.

"Of course." He said, making his way over to Elizabeth. "Would you like some lemonade?" He asked, blocking her path to Ciel and Mai. _'Thank God.'_ Mai thought in relief. She looked around for a safe place to hide while Ciel's fiancee was momentarily distracted. Her eyes then locked onto a balcony outside a pair of double doors. She saw a familiar figure standing near the railing of the balcony.

"This way." Mai instructed, dragging him out to the balcony. The sky was black against starless night, but the small crescent moon offered a little light. When the two were out on the balcony, and Ciel recognized the familiar figure, he ripped his hand out of Mai's grasp.

"Don't touch me so easily!" Mai frowned at him. _'Okay, then why don't you enlighten me and tell me how to __not__ touch you easily.'_ She thought grimly.

"Your welcome..." She muttered under her breath. Ciel waved her off, not paying any mind to Mai's comment.

"That was dangerous." Sebastian commented, sounding relieved and worried.

"Why am I the only one in this mess...?" Ciel complained, leaning against the stone railing exhausted. Mai gave him a pointed look, but didn't dare mention how he more or less dragged her into this mess too. Mai felt the wind pick up, and Ciel had to hold his hat down to keep it from blowing away. Mai ignored it, waving it off as just a windy night. She leaned back against the door way, feeling almost tired herself. She closed her eyes, and focused on the environment around her. She heard people talking in the ball room, the soft chirping of crickets, the sound of leaves rustling in the now calm wind. Mai then heard a change of music, instead of slow, it was a little fast paced. She peeked under her eye lashes, and saw Ciel and Sebastian looking surprised. Ciel cursed under his breath as he eyed the ball room with hate.

"The ball is swarming with dancers now! I can't approach the viscount like this.."

"Then there's nothing to be helped..." Sebastian sighed, and grabbed Mai's wrist, bringing her over to Ciel.

"Hey!" She yelled, ripping her wrist out of his grasp, just as Ciel did to her. "What's the big idea?"

"You and the Young mistress will join in with the dancers, and approach the Viscount that way." Ciel and Mai looked appalled and embarrassed.

"Your saying I should dance in public with her? With a MAID?" Ciel yelled, horrified at the thought of dancing with her in public. Or even at all.

"Have you forgotten? At the moment, Mai is your cousin from London. And that status allows her to dance with the Young Mistress." He smiled deviously, looking at him with speculative eyes. Ciel looked down, not having a valid argument.

"Well who said I'm going to do it?" Mai asked, adding to the tense atmosphere. Sebastian sighed again, and closed his eyes, pressing his fingers against his temples like he's got a headache- although at this point, she's sure he does.

"Miss Hondan, I've already stated this earlier. We need to do this to get close to the Viscount, and since I can't be there with the Young Mistress," He almost smiled at his words. "you have to protect him." Mai looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"And if I still refuse?" She asked challengingly, crossing her arms over her chest. Sebastian smiled, and slightly turned his head to the side.

"Then you'll simply be out of a job." '_Yeah well, maybe I don't __want__ to have this stupid job!'_ Is what she wanted to say, but she could only look at him in aggravated silence. She felt the wind toss her bangs to the side, and saw the leaves rustling violently. The weather pattern today has been all off.

"Okay, okay, okay I get it." She said, surprising even herself. She sounded almost scared. As if the thought of leaving actually frightened her. Mai shook her head a little, hoping to get rid of her ridiculous fear. The already breezy wind picked up even more, making her hair fly in front of her face.

"Let's hurry up and get inside, there may be a storm coming." Sebastian said, hurrying Ciel through the double doors. Mai quickly followed after, worried that a storm might really come. As soon as the three of them were in, Sebastian whispered to Ciel,

"Remember what I've taught you." Ciel nodded, and stood in front of Mai, looking like he would rather dance with Sebastian- and that was saying something. The two looked at each other, but didn't move. Mai cautiously looked into Ciel's eyes, and felt herself get lost. She's never seen such a beautiful color of blue before... It felt like forever until Sebastian moved Mai closer to him. She blinked a few times, coming out of her trance. Mai felt her face heat up, and she looked at her shoes, letting her bangs momentarily cover her face. Only when Ciel nervously put his hand on her waist did she look up.

Mai felt her breath catch as she saw him give her the lightest of smiles. She glanced at his raised hand, palm up, and hesitantly placed her hand in his. Mai clenched her jaw when she realized her hand was shaking slightly. She felt her heartbeat pick up slightly, and noticed Ciel's pulse was quick as well, which only made her heart beat quicker. The two nodded slightly nodded once, and swiftly made their way onto the dance floor.

They twirled effortless, taking turns spinning each other in circles. They didn't even step on each others feet, which surprised both of them. Mai couldn't say she was enjoying herself, but she couldn't bring herself to say that she didn't like it either.

"To be clear, this is only a one time thing." Ciel said quietly, sounding darkly amused. Mai smiled sweetly,

"No problem." Her voice was mocking, and even sounded mischievous, playing along with his dark humored game. The two continued to waltz until they got to the other side of the room. The second they stopped dancing, Ciel took his hands off of Mai, and put his hands on his knees, breathing quickly. He looked like he ran a mile instead of dancing a couple yards across the dance floor. Mai looked down at him surprised.

"Wow. You..." She wasn't even sure what to say. Ciel looked up at her with hard eyes.

"I what?" He demanded as he stood upright again. Mai narrowed her eyes.

"You really don't have any strength do you?" She asked bitterly. Ciel was about to make a witty comeback when someone came up behind him slowly clapping.

"Good show. Very entertaining." Ciel jumped slightly, and quickly looked behind him. The viscount stood behind him, smiling creepily. "A really lovely dancer, just like a Robin." He then turned towards Mai, and his creepy smile grew a little wider. "You seem dance more like an elegant Tanager." He continued to eye the two, and Ciel and Mai cautiously watched him, too surprised to say anything.

"I-I'm so happy to have your praise." Ciel said in his fake girly voice, curtsying. Mai didn't need to be told to do the same thing, so she awkwardly curtsied, trying not to fall over from her corset- which by the way made her itch like crazy.

"Who did you come with my dear Robin and Tanager?" He asked seductively- it sounded more like he was being a pervert, which, he _is_- kissing both of their hands.

"It-its auntie Angelina. Madam Red?" Ciel replied nervously.

"Is that so..? Then are you enjoying yourselves?"

"This ball is wonderful, I'm impressed. However..." Ciel paused momentarily for dramatization. "I always wanted to speak to you Viscount." Ciel said sweetly, innocently putting his hands behind his back. Mai nodded in agreement, not having anything to say. Or more likely, she wasn't sure _what_ to say.

"Oh?" He replied, sounding more interested by the second. Mai couldn't find it in her to find this funny. It was too disturbing.

"I'm already tired of all this dancing and talking." He said, sounding bored and sad. The viscount smirked and moved closer.

"You are quite a stubborn one, Robin. You wish to do more pleasurable things?" He trailed his hand down Ciel's side, placing his hand against his waist. Ciel gasped in shock, and forced himself to smile, looking completely miserable.

_'Endure! I have to endure this. It was for this moment I had to endure all of..of..that!' _Ciel thought, having flashbacks of the horrid girl lessons. Who knew being a girl was so hard? Mai felt a pang inside her chest, out of fear and nervousness. She shuddered lightly, knowing what she had to do.

"E-excuse me. I haven't had the chance to talk to you." Mai spoke out, trying very hard to keep her voice leveled. "I've been telling my dear cousin all night how much I wished to speak with you. You are very handsome after all." Mai felt like kicking herself. The viscount looked at her, and looked interested in her as well. He wrapped his arm around her waist, slowly moving down the back of her dress. Mai automatically raised her hand, ready to slap him, and slap him good, until she remembered that they had an investigation to do. Mai made up for raising her hand, and quickly placed it over his. She glanced at Ciel, and saw him looking at her almost surprised.

"Why thank you very much. And of course!" he turned back to Ciel, gently lifting his chin to look him in the eye. "If it is you, your cries would be so sweet my dear Robin." He then eyed Mai, "And your cries will be like sweet music to my ears." '_Since when did __I__ agree to this?'_ Mai thought in horror. The two looked fear stricken, but kept it well hidden.

_'I'm going to kill this guy!'_ Ciel and Mai thought at the same time.

'_I must investigate something before the song ends.' _Ciel thought, trying

to hurry the grueling processes.

"What is this pleasurable thing?" Ciel asked pushing the conversation forward. Mai wished she could look at him like he lost his mind, but she could only smile and play along. '_Why ask for detail?'_ She wailed inside her mind, not wanting to know what kind of torture the Viscount has lined up for them. Mai noticed Ciel glance across the room, and saw Elizabeth looking at him, admiring his dress. Mai quickly looked away, knowing Elizabeth would recognize her if she was caught.

"You wish to know?" The Viscount asked quietly, almost purring. '_If Elizabeth comes this way, it's all over!' _Ciel thought in concealed panic.

"I really...really want to know." Mai forced herself to say it for him, since he was distracted. The Viscount turned back to Mai.

"For you, it still may be a little too early."

"I'm already a lady!" Mai replied, smiling innocently. Mai saw Ciel's eyes widen as the song ended.

"Can you not tell Madam Red?" Ciel asked quickly, trying to sound seductive, though it was hard since he was pretending to be a girl.

"Of..of course." The Viscount replied, sounding surprised. "You seem to have been troubled with something a while ago?" He asked, leaning close to Ciel's face.

"Eh? Ah, no." Mai saw out of the corner of her eye Elizabeth quickly making her way across the dance floor.

'_MY LIFE IS OVER!' _Ciel thought as he also saw Elizabeth quickly come over. Suddenly Sebastian appeared in the middle of the dance floor with a huge cupboard. He had an elegant purple mask on to hide his identity.

'Sebastian?' Mai thought in astonishment. The small audience peered up at him in interest, curiously looking over the cupboard, even though there was nothing special about it.

"The ball is at it's peak." Sebastian began, talking out loud to the audience. "So I ask that the ladies and gentlemen please watch this magic performance I shall do with this cupboard." He gestures to the large cupboard beside him. "That gentlemen." Sebastian pointed to a surprised Lou. "Can you assist me?" Lou smiled, looking eager for whatever Sebastian has planned.

"Why of course."

"This is an ordinary cupboard. I shall now enter it." Sebastian said, catching everyone's attention. Even Elizabeth looked entertained, forgetting about the pretty little girl- boy- in the dress.

"I don't remember arranging a performance..? " The Viscount talked to himself in a wondering voice. Ciel glanced at him surprised, remembering why he was here.

"Viscount, I'm tired of these shows too." Ciel said, looking up at him with puppy dog eyes.

"I understand my Robin." He walked up the stairs, and opened a large curtain. Mai couldn't stop herself from sighing in relief when he let go of her. "Please go in. You too my little tanager." Mai felt goosebumps run up her arm as she and Ciel walked up the stars and disappeared into the dark room. The first thing Mai noticed, was there were many candles all around the room, lighting it just enough to see the Viscount and Ciel. Since Mai was closer, the Viscount placed his hands on either side of her, trapping her against a stone wall right next to the curtain.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" The Viscount asked quietly. Mai's heart was beating so fast she felt light headed. She has never been this scared before in her life. Mai tried with all her might not to look at Ciel and have him see the sickening fear in her eyes. She forced herself to nod, hoping Ciel knew what the heck he was doing. The Viscount leaned towards Mai, and her eyes widened in horror. She's never kissed anyone before, and she definitely didn't want it to be with him! The viscount was just inches from her, and Mai couldn't back up. At the last second she turned her face towards the side, and the Viscount kissed her cheek.

"Playing hard to get I see." The Viscount said, slowly moving away from her. Mai didn't comment, instead she tried to stop her near panic attack. '_Hm?_' Mai thought in confusion. The room smelled nice, really sweet actually.

"What...is..that?" Mai felt herself talking slower, and she felt like collapsing on the ground and go to sleep.. Mai fell on her knees, and looked at Ciel, and saw him sliding down the wall, looking tired as well.

"Have..to..get..out." Ciel whispered, making a feeble attempt to escape before passing out. Mai's vision began to get fuzzy, and with the last of her strength she muttered,

"Why..?" Then everything went black.

"This is a good place...Robin and Tanger."


	6. Revealed

_'Wait, where are you going?' _Mai reached her tiny little arms out to the retreating shadow of a figure leaving her alone in the woods. The only thing that protected her from the cold, moonless night, was her small wooden basket she was cradled in. She was wrapped up in a small blue blanket, protecting her from the harsh wind. _'Wait! Please wait!' _Mai called out in her mind. No one answered, and the shadowed figure didn't come back.

"Take her. I can't bear to see her." A young women's voice spoke quietly in her ear.

"But-but she's your child!" Another voice argued with the women. But she couldn't tell who either of them were.

"No! She is not my child! I didn't want her before she was born, and I don't want her now." Mai's eyes snapped open from the nightmare. She looked around, but saw only darkness. She was on the floor, and she could vaguely make out bars surrounding her. A huge black sheet was put over the bars.

"Wh-what? Where am I?" She whispered to herself.

"I don't know. It seems we're in a cage." A voice replied. Mai quickly looked over, and saw Ciel in the cage as well. She also saw him leaning against her side. Mai looked at him with wide eyes, not worrying if he saw or not since it was so dark. She tried to move, but found that her hands and feet were tied. _'What the heck?' _

"Mind moving?" Ciel asked annoyed. Mai glared at him in the dark. She wasn't sure how, but she somehow found room to be sarcastic.

"Okay. But you have to untie my hands and feet first." Ciel growled quietly, silently hoping she would be first for whatever torture was coming.

"You are more annoying than my fiancee." He replied bitingly. Mai looked at him in disbelief, and secret hurt. That struck a nerve.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please quiet down. The items you have been anticipating are now here." A voice spoke out from outside of the cage.

"Items..?" Mai questioned to herself, not understanding what this person was talking about. Suddenly the sheet was lifted from the cage, and sitting before them was a massive audience in fancy masks. Mai stared at them in contained horror.

"The Viscount!" Ciel exclaimed in a hushed whisper.

"The first item is very rare. She has beautiful colored eyes. One being different from the other. Her left eye is a deep ocean blue, while her right eye is a light sunset purple. '_Blue and...purple? His right eye?' _Mai wondered in suspicious curiosity. "She also has beautiful flowing hair, falling down to her waist."

"A silent auction." Ciel muttered under his breath. Mai had to strain to hear what he said.

"The next item for auctioning is a more average looking girl. She is still very beautiful, but as you can see, she doesn't have two different colored eyes. This young girl has hard gold eyes, and beautiful dark blonde hair. Perfect for cuddling with." The Viscount gestured to Ciel and Mai. "Let's begin the bidding at 1000 for the two eyed colored female." Mai clenched her teeth, imagining the horrible things they might do to Ciel. Mai growled, and almost screamed insulting words at everyone, but a sharp pain in her back stopped her silent fit of rage. It felt like someone was sticking knives inside of her, reaching all the way to her bone. Not being able to hold it back, Mai let out a small whimper of pain. Ciel glanced at Mai, but couldn't say anything. He turned his attention back to the audience, and opened his purple colored eye.

"Sebastian come get me." Ciel commanded in a toneless voice. Mai glanced at him, and almost flinched away like she's been electrocuted. Lying in the middle of his purple eye was a sign. No, not just a sign. A seal; the seal of a demon. She's seen enough fliers around her town to know what the seal looked like, and how people got them. They make contracts. People who had the sign are evil, merciless, forbidden, wrong. Mai knew Ciel wasn't nice, in fact, he was just down right mean, and negative. But she couldn't find it in herself to call him evil, forbidden, or even wrong. But for him to have the mark..it..it..

Suddenly the light from the candles went low, and the small room was filled with screams and cries of pain. Mai shuddered at the sound. Even though they tried to buy her and Ciel, she still didn't like to hear their screams. After a few seconds, the flames from the candles lit the room once more. Scattered around them was the mortally wounded- some even dead- audience. In the middle of the room lied the Viscount, looking like a broken doll.

"Really now. Not only have you gotten nothing done, but you've seem to have gotten yourself captured. Along with Mai." Sebastian chided. He then turned to Mai.  
>"Miss Hondan, did I not remind you to protect the young master?" Mai kept her head bowed, her bangs shadowing her eyes. Just the sound of Sebastian's voice made her furious. But the pain in her back made it impossible to talk.<p>

"As long as I have this contract, you will come no matter what?" Ciel asked, looking up at Sebastian. Sebastian smirked at his question.

"Of course." He quietly walked over and forced the bars open. "I will follow you everywhere you go. Until the very end." Sebastian's words sent a searing stab of pain through Mai, and she cried out in silent agony. _'THIS IS WRONG!'_ Mai screamed inside her mind.

"You must know you can never lie to me. No matter what." Ciel said as Sebastian helped him up.

"Yes my lord." Sebastian replied almost mechanically. Like he wasn't even human. Which, he's not. Sebastian then turned to Mai and offered her his hand after quickly cutting the rope off of her hands and feet. Mai slowly looked up at it, and just stared at it. It felt as though she couldn't see anything anymore. She didn't know what she was looking at. "Miss Hondan?" Sebastian asked with fake worry. Mai didn't respond, but instead slowly got up, the pain in her back slowly decreasing. She felt oddly calm. Sebastian stepped away to give her room to walk out of the cage. "We should be taking our leave. I already called the police, so they should be here at any moment."

"Then we'd better leave. I don't want to have to deal with those dogs from Scotland Yard." Sebastian gave him an odd look, and began to laugh quietly.

"In your current state...you are even more like...mm...'My Lady.'" He said as he tried to stifle his low laughing. Ciel glared at him while sweat dropping.

"IS...IS THAT SO..!" Mai didn't pay attention to them. She walked to the edge of the stage, and stared out at the path of destruction. Ciel faked coughed a couple times, feeling embarrassed. "Anyhow, the Jack the ripper case has been solved." Suddenly a loud noise came from the front room.

"The police are here." Sebastian stated, quickly scooping up Ciel, and grabbing Mai's arm. "Then we shall leave." Sebastian carried both of them out an open window, ignoring their complaints. He landed on a roof, and quickly disappeared again.

"Huh?" Elizabeth quietly rubbed her eyes. "I thought I saw something... I must be mistaken." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Soon they made it home, and Sebastian put Ciel and Mai down at the front door. Mai almost bit her tongue off, but forced herself to say,

"Thank you. For helping." Sebastian looked shocked at her unexpected thank you. He quickly smiled and replied,

"What kind of butler would I be if I couldn't help a young maid and master sneak out of a manner full of murdered people and swarming police?" Mai narrowed her eyes at him, but didn't bother to reply. They quickly walked into the manner, and Mai went upstairs, and headed to her room. As she walked down the hallway, she heard people talking in the drawing room. Mai stopped in her tracks, and peered in the doorway. Madam Red and Lou were sitting in the drawing room, talking to each other about a newspaper. Suddenly Ciel and Sebastian appeared behind her, causing to flinch slightly. Ciel took off the wig, and was wearing boy clothes again. Madam Red and Lou looked up, for once not happy.

"Ciel, have you seen today's paper?" She asked, slowly handing him him the paper. Ciel silently grabbed the paper and lied it out on his desk.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" He shouted as he read the title. Mai walked over to his desk and peered at the title. **'****Jack the ripper returns!****'** "The viscount didn't leave at all last night!"

"If the Viscount didn't commit the murders, that means there must have been others from the beginning." Lou stated, sounding interested. _'What is wrong with him?'_

"So that means the Viscount wasn't involved?" Madam Red asked, sounding slightly confused, and more than a little upset by the fact.

"I have to come up with a new suspect." Ciel spoke to himself. He then looked over to Sebastian. "Sebastian organize the list, we have to narrow it down." Sebastian- for once looking serious- replied,

"Your humble servant understands." He placed his hand over his empty heart. Mai narrowed her eyes at him. '_Oh yeah? Well __this__ humble servant is going to kick your humble servants butt!' _Ciel sat down and began talking about the population of London, especially during the season. If they weren't so strict on the requirements, the pool of people would increase. He looked like an adult, which made Mai want to face-palm herself. '_Well, I think I've put up with enough tonight.._' Mai thought as she began to leave the room. Just before she stepped out the doorway, Madam Red returned- when did she leave?- holding a game of sorts. International chess. Mai perked up slightly, looking interested at the game.

"Your still working?" Madam Red exclaimed as she walked past Mai. Grell then appeared, following after. "You shouldn't work so much." She said, sounding like her old cheerful self. "Why not play a game of chess?" Ciel glanced at Madam Red, and then at the game.

"International chess? ..It does bring back memories..." Madam Red set up the game at a small wooden table in front of Ciel's desk. "Come! Play a game, and take a break." Ciel looked slightly annoyed, but he couldn't resist a game of chess. "Grell, prepare some tea." Madam Red ordered to the timid butler. Grell nodded, and was about to head out when Mai spoke up.

"Oh, I can do that for you." She offered, though she honestly just didn't want Grell destroy anything. Or kill himself. Madam Red smiled up at Mai. "Thank you Mai." Mai forced a small smile and nodded as she quickly left the room. The manner was oddly- Okay, there was nothing _odd_ about it- eerie at night. The only thing that lit the halls was small candles. Mai felt her way around, until the found the banister of the stairs. She began making her way down, and found her way to the kitchen.

"Where is everyone?" Mai questioned, until she looked outside. The moon was already high in the sky. Must mean it's about 11:00 P.M. Everyone's asleep. Mai grimaced and quickly began making the tea. She decided to try something different, and put lilac and roses in the tea, since both flowers were edible. Going on hunting missions gave you a lot of free time to learn about edible plants, and good for practicing archery. '_ How I miss by bow and arrows...' _ Mai thought, before she stopped her progress.

"Speaking of my bow and arrows...what happened to them?"

_~Flash back~_

Mai walked into the kitchen looking for Finny, and found the trash can full of broken arrows, and her bow was snapped in half. Mai gasped, and stared at the trash can with wide eyes.

"My bow and arrows! Noooo!" She wailed, allowing herself a momentary freak out moment.

~_End flash back~_

Mai sweat dropped. "Oh yeah..." She hurriedly finished the tea, and put it on a tray. She stumbled her way back upstairs, and came back to the drawing room. Ciel and Madam Red didn't noticed, too into their conversation. Mai placed the tray of tea on Ciel's desk, not seeing any other place to put it. Just as she was about to leave again, Madam Red's comment caught her attention.

"Apart from being the watchdog for the darker part of society... you should have another way of living." She said, sounding sad. "..Your mother would have wanted that for you too...But you insist on returning to the darker part of society." Ciel looked blank while she spoke, still playing the game. "You want to take revenge on my murdered sister?" '_M-murdered..?' _Mai thought in horror. The story she heard was that the manner accidentally set on fire. No more than an accident. "Sister would have..._we_ would have not wanted you to be like this."

"I never thought about taking revenge." Ciel said, sounding fierce. "Even if I did, they wouldn't come back, and I wouldn't have gained any satisfaction. It's merely selfishness. Where's the comfort in that?" His ocean blue eyes seemed to harden to ice, and his voice spoke with determination. "I did not do it for my family. I did it for myself! I want those who betrayed the Phantomhive family to suffer the same as I did." Ciel moved the last piece, and called, "Checkmate." Madam Red sighed in defeat.

"That makes it 46 loses in a row. I always loose when I play with you."

" I remember the time you were born. I was still a new nurse, so I was very nervous. I felt I had to protect you." Madam Red got up, and walked next to Ciel, lightly stroking his hair lovingly. "Although I've never had children, I treat you as my own son. And I want you to leave this kind of society." Ciel gently pushed her hand away.

"I'm here because it is my wish, and it's what I want. I won't regret anything, and I will not rely on anyone." After a moments pause, Ciel realized how late it was. "I must retire," He quickly kissed Madam Red on her cheek, surprising her. " I had a happy time playing with you Madam Red." Madam Red smiled in response.

"I won't loose to you next time." She teased lightly. Ciel gave her a genuine smile.

"Good night." As soon as Ciel left the room, - never once noticing Mai's presence- Madam Red sighed.

"How can that child bear so much pain and sadness at a young age?" Madam Red questioned to herself. Mai looked down, clenching her jaw tightly. Madam Red quickly turned around, quietly hearing Mai trying not to cry. Madam Red slowly got up, and brushed her bangs aside. "Don't feel bad." She said in a soft voice. "I'm sure he'll choose the right path as time goes on." Mai then had to bite her tongue as she felt her eyes water. She would _not_ give Sebastian the satisfaction of seeing her cry. Mai quietly stepped away, and swiftly left the room without saying another word. Madam Red sighed again as she saw Mai leave.

"She's so much like Ciel sometimes." Sebastian nodded, and turned around to face her.

"I must ask, why is it you are so kind to miss Hondan?" He never remembered her being really kind to a servant, except for that occasional compliment. Which was still very rare.

" I feel so bad for her. She seems to be in pain, but she's hiding it from everyone." She said, knowing how often Ciel does it. "There's also something off about her." She admitted quietly. Sebastian looked confused.

"Off?" Madam Red nodded.

"I'm not sure. There's just...something..." She thought for a moment, but let it go. "I'm sure I'm just over thinking it." Sebastian nodded in agreement.

"Yes, well, it is very late." There was a momentary pause before Madam Red spoke again.

"Sebastian, I know this is odd to ask this of a stranger, but please stay by that child's side. Don't let him get lost along his way and leave him alone." Sebastian got down on one knee, and place his hand over his empty heart.

"I will always stay by his side and protect him. Until the end."

Mai quickly made her way down the hallway, and turned a corner, not paying attention to where she was going. After walking for a couple minutes, and she was sure she was alone, Mai let a few tears escape.

"Mai?" Mai snapped her head up, and saw Ciel in the middle of the dark hallway, one hand placed on the handle of his door. She bit her tongue again, trying to stop the few tears she let escape. She also felt the need to walk closer, but she shoved the feeling aside. She couldn't let him see her cry. It was an impossibility. In answer, Mai pointed to her wrist, hoping it would be enough for him to understand. Ciel sighed, and looked down.

"I don't have time to play games. What's wrong?" It didn't sound like he really cared, but he needed her to be well, since she was the only servant- Sebastian not included- who didn't destroy everything she worked on. Mai quietly cleared her throat, praying it wouldn't crack.

"I just..hurt my hand. It's nothing." She whispered before turning and quickly walking in the other direction, not bothering to wait for Ciel's reply. Besides, why would he care? Mai continued to walk for awhile, not sure if she's been walking for minutes or hours, until she saw a figure at the end of the hall. Mai looked up at the figure, and instantly began to cry. She quickly walked over and hugged the figure.

"Mai?" Finny said, sounding surprised and worried. "What's wrong?" He asked gently.

"It's-It's..I...so horrible!" She said, her cries now building into sobs. Finny gently led her to the other side of the hall so she wouldn't wake Bard up since they have to share a room.

"Shh, it's okay, everything's okay." Finny soothed, trying to quiet the young girls sobs.

"I-it's just that..I know! I know about Ciel's mark, and I know about Sebastian. A-a-and Madam Red was ta-alking to him, about his parents. And it remin-nded me of my family." She said in a rush, her words pouring out faster than her brain can think them. Finny looked at her, almost like he wanted to cry himself. He hated seeing her in pain.

"I'm so sorry Mai." Finny said, gently hugging her. Suddenly an idea came to mind. "How would you like to learn how to play the piano?" Mai looked up at him through her film of tears, and nodded her head.

"Okay.." She whispered, trying to stop her crying. Finny smiled and grabbed Mai's hand, leading her down the the hallway, and to the first floor. They had to stay quiet, for everyone was asleep, and they didn't want to wake anyone. And the definitely didn't want to get caught by Madam Red or Sebastian. After walking down an unfamiliar hallway, Finny opened a dark blue door. The room was a decent size, and it held a grand piano. Mai looked up at Finny surprised.

"You know how to play the piano?" Finny nodded.

"I used to play the piano before I came here." He didn't mention any more, and Mai didn't ask. The two sat down on the wooden bench, and Finny began teaching her about keys, the scale, how to play properly, and various different chords, the most familiar of C,G, and F. He even played a short song for her that he used to play a lot when he was younger. It was very soothing, and soft. Like a sweet lullaby that's sure to bring you pleasant dreams. After two hours, Finny spoke up, speaking of the time.

"Wow, it's getting early. We should go to bed so we're ready for work." Mai nodded in agreement, even though it was only 1:00 A.M.

"Thank you for teaching me how to play the piano." She said sincerely. Finny smiled in response.

"There's no need to thank me. I love teaching you how to play. If you want to be good though, we'll have to practice at least once a day." Mai nodded, understanding. She stumbled a little as she tried to walk back to her room.

"Here, let me help." Finny easily picked her up and brought her back to her room. Mai was so tired, she didn't realize she fell asleep in Finny's arms. Finny quietly opened her door, and put her to bed. He pulled her comforter over her to keep her warm.

Just as he was about to leave, a small glint caught his eye. Finny turned around, and in the corner of Mai's room was her hunting uniform. Something dimly shined in the pocket of her shirt. Finny quietly walked over and looked at the shining object. It was a bracelet. The string was thin, and dangling from the string what the letter 'M'. It has a small silver rose in the corner, wrapping the 'M' around in a vine. Finny picked up the bracelet, and gently placed it on Mai's wrist. He then quickly left, needing to go to sleep himself. As Mai slept, she heard small voices in her mind.

"Maxine. Maxine. Maxine." The name swirled around in her mind. '_Who's Maxine?_'


	7. Wrong

**I am so sorry about this chapter. It didn't go quite as I would have liked it. Your basically reading the manga * which I do not own* until you get near the end. Again, I'm so sorry. **

Around 3:00 A.M, Ciel and Sebastian slipped into the cold, dark night, and waited behind a brick wall for Jack the ripper. This was the last victim on the list. Their last chance to catch Jack the ripper once and for all. Ciel stood behind the brick wall shivering from the cold.

"Why must it be so cold..?" He complained as he wrapped his arms around himself, trying to contain what little warmth he could.

"It wouldn't look good to be in a poor neighborhood, and wear clothes of a noblemen." Sebastian pointed out.

"I know, I know." Ciel replied annoyed. "If we wait here, that guy will really come, right?"

"Yes. Since this is the only way of entrance, and the only path to get here, he must come this way." Ciel peered around the corner, looking at the door leading to the victims home. It looked very creep, considering she was a victim.

"So his last target is Maria Gale, who lives in that small home?" Ciel asked quietly.

"Yes, I've told you many times, I haven't got it wrong." Sebastian replied warily. Ciel sighed to himself.

"Aside from taking out their organs, is it really necessary to kill them? And also I..." Ciel looked up when he didn't hear Sebastian interrupt. "..ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME? SEBASTIAN!" Sebastian was holding a cat, playing with it's small paws, and stroking it's fur. Sebastian looked up at him feeling almost guilty.

"Ah, I'm sorry." He said, looking at the cat lovingly.

"We're not keeping it!" Ciel answered his unspoken thought. "Let it go, quickly." Sebastian sighed, looking disappointed.

"I understand.." He quickly put the cat down, causing it to run away. '_We'd better get it right this time.._'

~ _Flash back_~

"Humans are incapable of killing people like this." Sebastian spoke, his sinister smile never faltering. Ciel looked up at him, clenching his teeth in anger.

"..Is that so...You.." Sebastian's sinister grin got a little wider.

"I have been telling the truth from the beginning. I never lied about the investigation results." He placed a hand where his heart should be. "It is true the Viscount was involved in black magic, and he had no alibi. The Viscount was the only person who fit the requirements."

"YOUR INVESTIGATION IS A CHEAP JOKE!" Ciel yelled, tearing the suspect list in half. Sebastian laughed to himself at Ciel's tantrum.

"Because it was your order." He replied cleverly. Ciel glared at him and threw a small stack of papers at him. Sebastian easily dodged it. "Oh dear, your taking it out on me?" Sebastian said, his voice full of mocking. He then bent over and began picking up the papers. "You know I'm like this. That is why you keep me by your side."

"I know!" Ciel replied, still angry. Sebastian merely smiled, and Ciel sighed in exasperation. There was a moments silence as Sebastian threw the papers away. "Is this person like you?" Ciel asked suddenly. Sebastian put a finger under his chin thoughtfully.

"No, I don't believe so. It's a surprise someone such as him even exists."

"He's not human. But he's not a demon either?" Ciel asked I confusion. "What kind of person is he?" Sebastian smirked at his silly questions.

"That person is-" A sudden loud scream interrupted Ciel's thoughts. It came from the small home of Maria Gale. It made his blood freeze in his veins.

"How? No one went inside!" Ciel exclaimed as he ran towards the door and slammed it open. A single drop of blood fell on his cheek as he stared at the pool of blood before him.

"DON'T LOOK!" Sebastian yelled, putting his hand over Ciel's eye. Sebastian looked at the grotesque scene and smiled sinisterly. "It's it a bit over the top? It's all over the floor..Jack the ripper. Or should I say-" Sebastian teased lightly, and the dark figure standing in the middle of the room began walking forward towards the light of the moon. "Grell Sutcliff." Grell was covered from head to toe in blood, looking guilty.

"No! Y-you have it wrong. I heard her scream, and I came as quick as I could..."

"You came as quick as you could? That must mean your special. We were waiting in the only route you could have entered." Sebastian continued to tease relentlessly, enjoying the sight of seeing Grell be uncomfortable. "Are you going to continue to pretend Grell Sutcliff? No, that must also be a fake too." Grell only looked at him, not having anything to say. "Come now, stop the act." Grell looked down, and smirked. He looked back up, and his face was changing. His teeth were like razors, and his eyes got bigger.

"Heh... Is that so..?" He mocked, now removing the red ribbon holding his brown hair back. His brown hair turned a scarlet red, and he removed his glasses. He even removed the fake eyelashes he had on. "Well you figured it out. I'm a great actress you see. So I posed as a butler, when really..." Grell paused for dramatic effect. "I'm a death god." He said, making a chainsaw materialize in his hands.

"Why would you choose to pretend to be a butler?" Sebastian questioned, for once being serious.

"A women caught my interest." Grell replied, continuing with his teasing.

"And this women is..."

"Do you really need to ask?" Suddenly Madam Red slowly stepped out from the shadows. Just as she stepped out the door, a piercing scream filled the night. Ciel removed Sebastian's hand, and looked back and fourth between Madam Red and the door.

"She's still alive!" Ciel exclaimed. Madam Red smirked at him.

"Of course not. There's no helping her." Ciel looked up at his beloved aunt in shock.

"Madam Red..? Who's in there?"

"My calculations seemed to have been wrong. I didn't expect you to find us so quickly." She stated, ignoring his question.

"From the very beginning, you were on the suspect list. But your alibi was almost perfect." Madam Red pretended to look hurt.

"Ciel, you suspected one of your own?"

"As long as there is a possibility, I don't care who it is." Ciel replied coldly. He then took out a piece of paper. "These are all patients of your that you worked with at the hospital. All of them undergoing a certain surgery." Madam Red looked at the ground, looking disappointed.

"I wish you wouldn't have found out. Then we'd be back at home playing chess." Madam Red clenched her hand. "However...I WILL NOT GO EASY ON YOU ANYMORE!" She screamed as Grell lunged at Ciel with his chainsaw. The piercing voice cried out,

"NO!" She then let out a horrible scream of pain. Sebastian swiftly stepped in front of Ciel, blocking the chainsaw from him.

"What?" Grell yelled in surprised.

"What is that?" Ciel asked, staring at the chainsaw with wide eyes.

"It's a death scythe. Great for harvesting souls." Grell replied eagerly. "I wish to do vigorous exercises with you." Grell said to Sebastian. Sebastian looked downcast.

"Don't say such revolting things. I'm working too."

"Aww! Your so unfair!" Grell exclaimed in awe. "Even so, I still have to kill you my Sebas-chan." Grell said sadly. Ciel quickly took off his eye patch, revealing his purple colored eye.

"In the name of her Majesty, and my own wretched name, I command you to capture them!" Madam Red smiled.

"I don't know if you want to do that if I you." Ciel stared at her surprised, but didn't reply. Madam Red walked back into the small home of the victim, and dragged someone out.

Standing in the doorway, dripping with blood is,

"Mai."


	8. Traitor

Soon after Mai fell asleep, her latest nightmare returned, continuing where it left off. The same two people were fighting about her, and no one came back to save her from the darkness.

"You don't understand! ..You don't know what he did to me." The woman's voice sounded small, and broken. "Ju-Just take her! I can't have her, I can't! Take her, and never bring her around me again." The woman sounded desperate and defensive, eager to be rid of the child she didn't want.

"I-I don't think.."

"Please." The woman whispered, a small amount of hope still in her voice. The sadness in the woman's voice wanted to make Mai cry. After a moment's silence, the other voice spoke up.

"Fine. I'll take her. ...I'll name her Maxine." The voice said lovingly. Suddenly Mai bolted upright, feeling as though her dream almost shocked her awake. Mai clutched the sheets of her bed, and panted, her hair damp with sweat. She looked down, and saw her old bracelet hanging on her wrist. _'Finny...' _She thought adoringly. She quickly slipped the bracelet off her wrist, and placed it on her ankle. She always put it there when she went hunting.

"Waking from a nightmare? That is no way for a young lady such as yourself to wake up." Mai snapped her head up, and looked across the room, angry with whoever disturbed her thoughts. There, hiding in the shadow's, was a tall figure, looking down at her with teasing eyes. Mai instinctively reached for her bow and arrows, when she remembered she didn't have them anymore. She was defenseless. _'Crap.'_

"Who are you?" Mai demanded, trying very hard to keep the fear out of her voice.

"Why, I'm the most beautiful person you'll ever meet." The shadow replied, smiling to reveal rows of razor sharp teeth. Mai slowly backed away, only to hit the base board of her bed.

"W-What do you want?" The shadow laughed, and moved out towards the light of the moon. It was a man. He had long, shocking red hair, and odd lime-green eyes. He also wore red make-up, and old fashioned black clothes. He also wore a white buttoned down undershirt. The man smiled viciously.

"Why, you of course!" The man lunged forward, and grabbed Mai's arm. Mai tried to swing at him, but he suddenly held a chainsaw to her throat. Mai was too frightened to flinch away. "Now, either you come with me, or I'll hack you to pieces." He whispered in her ear. Mai felt her chest tighten, and fought to breath normally as she slowly got up. The man smirked at her. "Good girl." He then scooped her up and dashed out the window. After what seemed like seconds, they appeared at a small home at the end of an ally way. The man didn't hesitate to silently sneak in, and throw Mai in a dark part of the room. A pair of hands then came from behind and pinned her down while the man picked up some rope and began tying her up. Mai struggled to look behind her, and saw the familiar, kind face that she thought she knew.

"Madam Red," Mai hissed, her words filled with venom. Madam Red merely laughed at her statement.

"Who else?" She asked as the man tightened the rope around Mai.

"Why are you doing this?" Mai demanded as she struggled with the tight knots. Madam Red smiled, amused at her hopeless attempt to escape. Madam Red bent down and whispered in her ear,

"Because I can." Mai felt her horrified expression freeze, not being able to get past the sickening fear she felt. As Mai's eyes adjusted to the dark room, she saw she wasn't the only one in there. There was a young, blonde haired women- who was very beautiful- tied to a chair. Her entire frame was shaking in fear. _'Oh God, what did I get myself into?'_ Mai thought as she tried to keep herself from passing out. "Now we wait." Madam Red said to the man, who nodded and began changing into his butler uniform. _'Grell..' _Mai glared in his direction, not surprised that he was working with her. Suddenly a thought dawned on her.

"Wait? Wait for who?" Madam Red turned around and smirked at Mai.

"For my adorable nephew you like so much." She teased. "And his hansom butler." She added, not being able to ignore the obvious fact about Sebastian's sexiness- not that Mai ever noticed or cared-.

"I DO NOT LIKE HIM!" She screamed in defiance. Madam Red slowly walked up to Mai, and crouched so she was eye level with her.

"You may say that now, but your eyes say otherwise deary." She said in an almost motherly tone. Mai growled at her, but Madam Red payed no mind to her. "Well then," She turned towards the beautiful blonde haired girl, tears steadily streaming down her face. "I think we've waited long enough. Let's begin." Madam Red nodded to Grell, and he smiled sinisterly. He walked over to a dark corner of the room, and brought out a small table, which had many tools on it. The woman, along with Mai, stared at the table in silent horror. Grell walked up to the frightened woman, and slowly dragged a razor across her arm. Blood flowed effortlessly through the gash, and Grell turned to pick up a small paint brush. He dabbed his paint brush into the fresh stream of blood, and began painting the woman's lips a frightening red. The woman whimpered in pain, not being able to do anything else.

"Red is suck a beautiful color..." Grell said dreamily. "It really makes a woman look perfect." Mai felt short of breath, almost as if someone punched her in the gut.

"Y-you..your Jack the..the.." Mai couldn't force the word out. Neither of them answered her statement as they tortured the woman. "Stop!" Mai yelled, her voice reverberating against the walls. She began to struggle fiercely against the rope, trying with all her might to save the woman. Grell smirked as he saw Mai struggle. He then picked up what looked like a small version of his chainsaw, and began cutting the woman. The saw cut deep enough to reach her bone. The woman screamed out in tortured agony, and Mai struggled harder, until she felt a shearing pain in her back. Mai let out a horrified cry, feeling as though Grell was taking the saw to her back. "STOP! Please stop!" She continued to plead, until Grell turned off the mini saw. He cocked his head to the side, and listened.

"Madam, they're coming." Madam Red looked at Mai, concern plain on her face, and then she faced the door in determination. "NOW!" Grell quickly finished off the woman, her blood spewing on Mai. Mai began to retch as the door slammed open. She stopped when she saw Ciel standing in the door way, a single drop of blood hitting his cheek. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Mai." Ciel spoke out quietly, not believing it was his maid. Then again, he's not surprised she got herself in this kind of situation. Suddenly it began raining heavily; Sebastian quickly turned around and placed his unbuttoned coat over Ciel.

"What is the meaning of-"

"It's so your body doesn't get cold. When we get back to the manner, I'll prepare some hot milk for you." Sebastian smiled, looking more cheerful than truly necessary.

"Oh no, I'm not letting you two go that easily!" Grell spoke, launching himself at Sebastian. The two then began the one on one battle, just barely missing each other by inches. Grell smiled happily, almost as if he enjoyed fighting Sebastian. "If I'm going to be hunted, I'd rather be the hunter." He cooed as he lunged his chainsaw at Sebastian's shoulder blade. Sebastian quickly stepped to the side, swiftly missing the deadly attack. "Let's play a game of hide and seek~!" Sebastian stared down at Grell, not bothering to hide his look of disgust.

"Please don't say such revolting things." Sebastian said as Grell lunged at him again, aiming straight for his chest. Sebastian quickly ripped a lamppost from the ground and blocked Grell's chainsaw. Grell laughed at Sebastian's feeble attempt to block his attack.

"Please, that lamppost is like a stick." he said as his chainsaw split it in half. A look of shock appeared on Sebastian's face. As the two continued to fight relentlessly, Ciel gazed at his aunt with sad eyes.

"Why..why would you do this?" Ciel's name was on Mai's lip, but Madam Red spoke before she said anything.

"You asking me now, how do you expect me to answer?" Madam Red smirked at the internally broken child in front of him. While Madam Red was distracted, Mai took her chance to escape, but Madam Red grabbed Mai's arm, still looking at Ciel. Mai stifled a yelp as Madam Red tightened her grip on her arm. Suddenly Mai heard Grell's chainsaw cut into the stone wall behind her, and she looked over to find Grell keeping Sebastian prisoner under his scythe. "You have become the guard dog, and I have become the sinner." Madam Red's grim words brought Mai's attention back to the two. "If you weren't the guard dog of this place, and being hunted," Mai gasped as she saw Madam Red draw a knife from her side pocket. "THEN THERE WOULD ONLY BE ONE PATH FOR YOU!" Madam Red screamed as she let go of Mai, and lunged at Ciel. Mai didn't hesitate to tackle Madam Red to the ground, happy to have strong enough arms to hold her down. (Using a bow and arrow really makes a person strong.) While Mai had strong arms, Madam Red had powerful legs. Madam Red flipped Mai over, and tried to drive the knife into her throat. "You have been nothing but trouble since I brought you here." Madam Red said bitterly. Mai quickly clasped her hands over Madam Red's, and fought to keep the knife away.

"No one hurts the young master!" Mai growled as the knife got farther and farther away from her throat. "Not even you, or that girl who was pretending to be a boy!" Without taking his eyes off of Sebastian, Grell retorted,

"Hey! I'm too beautiful too be compared to a woman." He said, flattering himself. Mai didn't bother to decipher if he was really or a girl as she continued to push the knife away from her. While all of this was happening, Ciel stood there in shock, not believing any of this was really happening. Just when Mai thought she got the knife a safe distance away, the familiar, searing pain entered her back. The force of it was enough to knock Mai back to the ground, knocking the breath out of her. Madam Red then fell forward and effectively stabbed Mai in her shoulder. Before anyone had time to do anything, Madam Red was already pulling the knife out of Mai and screaming at Ciel.

"IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN BORN, THEN EVERYTHING WOULD BE BETTER!" She then launched herself at him.

"YOUNG MASTER!" Sebastian yelled, quickly surrounding himself with the darkness of his true demon self. Suddenly Madam Red dropped the knife before she could harm him.

"I-I can't do it..after all." She whispered as she put her face in her hands. Sebastian was about to slash her with his demonic claws, which would bring an instant death, when Ciel yelled,

"SEBASTIAN STOP!" His eyes wide with fright. Sebastian stopped just inches from Madam Red, looking defeated and tired. He know held his wounded shoulder, panting slowly. Mai stared at everyone, her eyes wide with shock. Her breathe finally came back, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything.

"Well..Sebastian's endurance is strong. He lunged at the madam to save the brat, there by injuring himself." Grell's voice cut into the night like a razor, his voice full of mockery and victory. He then turned to Madam Red,

"What do you have to say for yourself Madam Red?" He sounded almost like he was scolding her, like a child who has done something wrong. "Kill the brat already. But start with that wretched girl." He said, turning his glare at Mai. Mai shakily got up, pressing the palm of her hand on her wound, hoping to stop the blood that was pouring out of her body. She returned his glare, and almost growled at him. '_if I have to fight this freak, I'll find a way.'_ She thought bitterly to herself. As Mai glared at Grell, she saw Madam Red in the corner of her eye. She was trembling, her entire frame shaking. She wasn't even sparing a glance at Mai, her eyes still on Ciel.

"..Can't.." Her words came out in a half choked whisper. She clutched her chest, like there was a hole inside her, and she was trying to keep that hole from ripping her apart. "I..couldn't do it after all." She said to herself, a hint of hysteria in her quavering voice. "I can't kill him." She spoke more loudly, her voice more steady. Grell looked at Madam Red in disgust,

"How can you say that? And after killing so many women?" Madam Red turned around, and put her arms out, like she was shielding him.

"THIS CHILD IS MY-" Madam Red's words were instantly cut off as Grell struck her with his scythe at blinding speed. Grell then ripped the chainsaw out of her chest, causing her to fly back. Blood spattered on the ground, and overflowed in her mouth. Without a second thought, Mai quickly walked over to Ciel-it was too painful to run-. Suddenly a burst of film came from the wound inside Madam Red's chest.

"Your a disappointment." Grell sneered at the dying women, feeling no sympathy for her. The film revealed Madam Red as a child, and her sister. Mai stifled a gasp as she took in the features of Madam Red's sister. _'Ciel's mother?'_ She looked so much like him. She was so beautiful, with her long, flowing gold hair, and her beautiful heart shaped face. The film continued with Madam Red first meeting Ciel's father. '_They look so much alike..'_ Mai felt herself madly blushing, so she forced herself to turn away. Besides, it wasn't any business what was on that woman's cinematic film of memories. Though she didn't watch her memories, she couldn't force herself to stop hearing. Madam Red was very insecure as a child, and didn't like the color red. But when Ciel's father entered her sister's life, he changed her. He made her stop being so insecure, and she made her happy. She came to love the color red after that, embracing it with all her might. Then came the fateful day when her sister announced she was marrying Ciel's father. Madam wore a red dress to the wedding, still in love with the color. The film then skipped over to when Ciel was first born. The crying caught Mai's attention, and she peaked back over, and saw the younger version of Madam Red holding the newborn Ciel, her sister right next to her. Mai's eyes watered at the sight. _'He looks so innocent...'_ She didn't dare look at Ciel now, afraid what she might see.

After that, Madam Red began hate red. Years later, she became a doctor. Though she would come over often, and play with Ciel and a young Elizabeth, she found she still loved Ciel's father. Eventually she got married to a wonderful man, and became pregnant with a child of her own. Months later, she and her husband got in a terrible carriage accident. Her husband died, and the doctors had to take Madam Red's child out of her, in order for her to live. The news crushed Madam Red's spirit. Her sister tried to make her feel better, though her kindness couldn't reach her heart.

Madam Red's sister invited her to Ciel's 10th birthday, hoping it would cheer her up. Reluctantly she said yes. The film then skipped over to the day of Ciel's birthday, Madam Red just arriving at the manor, when the driver pointed it out; the horrid fire.

Madam Red's memories then skipped to the day of the funeral. Both her sister, and the man she loved died. Ciel was no where to be found.

Her memory then skipped to one month later. Madam Red was working in the hospital, helping her close friend give birth to a child. She managed to talk her out of getting an abortion, which was a relief to her. As soon as the child was delivered, Madam Red smiled, and wrapped the child up in a blanket.

"Would you like to see your child?" She asked the woman.

"No! I don't want to see that thing. She is _not_ my child!" Mais' head snapped up at the woman's words. _'These are the two women from my dream!'_ Mai had to bite her tongue to stop her from sobbing right then and there. The woman looked just like her, her gold eyes, her gold hair, her nose... Suddenly the wind picked up in a sudden intensity, but the ally sheltered the group from the wind storm. Ciel's eyes widened at he took in the woman's features, and glanced at Mai.

'_They look exactly alike._' Ciel thought in disbelief.

"How can you say such a thing! Of course she is your child!" Madam Red snapped back, angry that her friend would say such a thing.

"Take her. I can't bear to see her." The woman said in a broken whisper.

"B-but she's your child!" Madam Red continued to argue, but her voice was no longer angry.

"No! She is not my child! I didn't want her before she was born, and I don't want her now!" The woman snapped, putting as much venom in her words as possible.

"Please. Please take her." The woman said with what little hope she had left. Madam Red gave her friend a long, suffering look, but finally nodded.

"Okay." She then turned to the beautiful child in her arms. This wasn't the first beautiful child she's ever held. The sudden memory hit her so hard, tears began pooling in her eyes. "Hi there." She smiled at the child, who smiled a tiny smile up at her. Madam Red then whispered,

"I'll name you, Maxine."


	9. A holy encounter

**( If you guys would like to see a picture of Mai, please message me. Thank you :) )**

"Maxine."

Madam Red looked back up at Mai's mother, and her friend, Miranda. "Are you sure you don't-"

"Yes I'm sure now get that thing out of here!" Miranda yelled, pointing her finger at the door. The moment she pointed at the door, her beloved bracelet flew off her hand, and landed in the infants lap. Mai smiled and picked up the bracelet. It had thin black string, and on that string, held a beautiful, silver M. A small silver rose was found in the corner, and a silver vine wrapped around the letter. Madam Red gently took the bracelet, and handed it back to Miranda.

"I'm sorry, you bracelet must have-"

"Keep it!" Miranda spat, though her voice sounded oddly weak. Madam Red quickly walked over to Miranda's side.

"Miranda, are you okay?" She asked as she shifted Mai in her arm so she could check Miranda's pulse. Miranda panted slightly, taking shallow breaths.

"What..do..you think?" She said slowly, trying to have enough breath to talk. "T-That thing..was just... too..much." Miranda glared at Mai with everything she had, before a shudder rippled through her body, and her eyes fluttered shut. At that moment, Mai began to cry.

"Miranda.." Madam Red checked her pulse again, and found there was none. She looked down at her friend with sad eyes. Sure, she wasn't the greatest friend in the world, but she was a good person to talk to. When she wasn't being so bitter about her life. Madam Red turned to the crying infant in her arms. "Shh, it's okay Maxine." She soothed the child as she walked out of the room to find someone to take care of the body. "I think your the most beautiful girl in the world." She said as she slipped the bracelet on Mai's tiny hand.

"Huh? I have never seen a person's memories go backwards before!" Grell exclaimed, although nobody payed any mind to him. But apparently, Madam Red's memories skipped back to one year after Ciel was born. Mai didn't realize she was on her knees, until Grell snapped her out of the past, and she saw herself on the ground. While Madam Red's memories continued, Mai quickly took her favorite bracelet off her ankle. She stared at it for what seemed like years, before she clutched it in her hand, and turned back to Madam Red. Her memories seemed to have skipped forward again, putting her in her home.

"Maxine? Maxine?" Madam Red yelled Mai's name, seeming to frantically look for her. "Where are you my beautiful girl?" She kept looking over at the empty little cradle she put her in so she could sleep. She distinctly remembered putting her down for a nap, also wanting to get some sleep herself. '_She's too young to be able to go anywhere!'_ Her mind raced as she looked in all rooms of the house. Madam Red then ran outside, slamming the door open. There was nothing but the harsh whisper of the wind, and a silent forest surrounding her. "MAXINE!"

Madam Red's memories went ahead years later. She was in the hospital working with a patient.

"It's just too hard to have a child. And talk about an unwanted burden." A young women with curly blonde hair spoke. "But abortion is expensive..." She sighed, not seeing a way out of having a child. Madam Red was outraged at the fact that a woman like her could have a child, and then want to just throw it away like it was nothing. Yet here she was, wanting more than anything to be able to have a child. She already lost two of them, not counting Ciel. Later that day, with an angry vengeance, she found the women, and followed her back to her home. She then made her move, attacking the woman without a second thought. She stabbed her repeatedly, blood flying everywhere. Suddenly a voice came behind her.

"Bravo, thank you very much." Madam Red turned to look at a soul reaper dressed in red, though he still had black and white clothes. "Thanks to you, the death list has been filling the brim." The soul reaper smiled wickedly at her.

'_Grell..' _ Mai thought with hatred.

Grell then moved to hug the blood soaked Madam Red. "I see we share the same fate. You see, I also want to have a child. But I cannot do that, because I am a guy." He then looked down at her with sinister eyes. "Please, allow me to assist you." Her memories then skipped a few months later. Madam Red came back to the Phantomhive manner, and found Ciel with a strange new butler dressed in all black. Of course she was happy he was back, but she couldn't help but wonder why he was alive, but the person she loved was still dead. After Ciel came back, he inherited the job his father had. But then everything was ruined when he set out to find 'Jack the ripper.'

"I WONT-" Grell sliced his scythe through Madam Red before she could finish her statement.

"I love the way your life blood covers you Madam Red." Grell said disgusted. "But I'm not interested in you anymore. I don't care for women who get carried away be silly feelings such as emotions. Besides, it's funny how you can say that maid is your daughter. You never signed the adoption papers. You didn't want anyone to know about her." Madam Red collapsed to the ground, and Grell grabbed her red coat, yanking it off her body. "Your not fit to where the color red. And with this, I say goodbye Madame!" Grell placed Madam Red's coat over her body and walked away. Mai stared at Madam Red's lifeless eyes, feeling oddly empty. Like she didn't have any emotions left. Like part of herself died along with Madam Red. Ciel's shoe splashed in a puddle as he walked over to Madam red. He knelt down, and gently closed her eyes, making her look more at peace.

"Sebastian, what are you doing?" Ciel asked, never looking away from Madam Red's lifeless body. Mai didn't look behind her to see his reaction, but she could tell from the silence that he was confused. "I told you to take down 'Jack the ripper.' It's not over yet." Ciel looked up at him, his voice as cold as ice. "Don't hesitate. Hurry up and finish him!" Sebastian looked shocked, but then smirked at his command.

"Yes my lord." This made Grell stop his dramatic exit.

"Hehe, I was going to let you three off the hook considering the circumstances.. But since you want to die so much..." Grell shipped around and lunged at Sebastian with his chainsaw, just barely missing his head. "I SHALL SEND YOU ALL TO HEAVEN!" Sebastian smirked as he skidded to a halt down the ally.

"Heaven? Why, heaven and I are strangers." He said as he picked up a large wooden box and launched it at Grell.

"I'm in a bad mood, so I'll go easy on you." Grell replied as he swung his scythe at him again. Sebastian quickly flipped over him, grabbing the hilt of his scythe. Sebastian then swung the chainsaw back at Grell, aiming for his 'oh so precious' face.

"Hey! You tried to aim for my face on purpose!" Grell steamed as he glared at Sebastian. "That's where little girls like me are most concerned about! There's no way your human!" Sebastian looked amused by his statement.

"Well yes, I am a butler to the core. And you shouldn't be worried about stuff like that considering you are not a girl, and even if you were, I still would not be interested."

"Tsk," Grell looked annoyed by his statement. "Do you really think you can win against a soul reaper?"

"I myself have never tried before, but if my master wants me to win, then I WILL win." Ciel watched the two with a determined expression while Mai gently placed her bracelet on Madam Red. She then looked up at the two fighting. '_God, I would love kick Grell's butt.' _Mai thought, scarily eager to help out. She quickly got up, only to fall back down with a piercing cry. Ciel looked over at Mai, a second of worry clearly shown on his face before he composed himself and turned back to Sebastian and Grell.

"Are you alright?" He asked, still not looking at her. Mai grit her teeth to keep from crying.

"Y-Yeah.." Grell smirked at the sound of Mai's pain.

"Sounds like your little maid is having issues. Anyways, you cannot win against a soul reaper. Even if you are a demon, you will perish against my death scythe. Aren't you scared at all?" Grell's tone turned teasing as he aimed his scythe at him.

"Not one bit." Sebastian returned Grell's teasing tone. "Currently, everything of mine belongs to my master, including my body, my soul, and every strand of hair on my head. Whatever he wishes will be granted." Grell's smile turned sickenly sweet.

"A demon and a soul reaper. Such different people. It seems we can't reach a moot point." He said as he again aimed for Sebastian's head. Sebastian kicked the chainsaw away, though Grell seemed unfazed. He then sighed dreamily.

"No matter how much love I put in, it just won't bear fruit. It's like...like.. the tragic story of Romeo and Juliette." Sebastian, Ciel, and even Mai's face, paled at his statement. That was just too far on the disgusting scale. "This would be such an amazing play, that even Shakespeare would answer." Grell said as he jumped onto a roof. The wind calmed down very much, so Grell didn't notice how unnaturally windy it was. "Why don't you just be rid of that awful name your master gave you, and focuse on me?" He cooed as he stood on the roof tops. Sebastian jumped up onto the roof tops as well, standing under the full moon.

"That day I came Sebastian, I vow by the moon." Grell looked disappointed.

"You vowed by the moon? Your so dishonest my little Sebas-chan." Suddenly a smiled crept onto his face. "This is great! I'm getting goosebumps everywhere. If I have your child, I would definitely give birth to it!" Sebastian looked seriously pissed and annoyed by this. If Mai wasn't in so much pain, she'd laugh out loud. But all she could manage, was the smallest of smiles.

"Can you please stop? That's really disgusting. Not to mention it's biologically impossible for you to give birth to my child." Grell then swung his scythe at Sebastian one more, only to have it strike the ground from Sebastian's foot.

"Oh Sebas.. it would be wonderful if dawn never came, then we could keep fighting like this." He then got really close to Sebastian's face, almost as if he was trying to kiss him-eww. "But our fight has to end here. So what I could say a thousand times, a million times, shall end here." Grell ripped his chainsaw out from under Sebastian's foot, surprising him. He then swung back and sliced it across his chest. While the fight seemed to be over, it was just getting started. Mai continued to look at Madam Red, her mind racing. It seemed like the fight was going on for years instead of just a few minutes.

_'My mother didn't want me... Madam Red is my so called 'mother?'... I've been kidnapped...lost...betrayed... and now this?'_ Mai thought as another wave of searing agony ripped through her back. But this time was different. This was a whole new level of pain. It felt like someone was ripping her bones out of her back, and setting it on fire. To top it off, it felt like someone poured lemon juice and salt on an open bloody wound, while her skin was being ripped apart by a chainsaw. Mai screamed in horrible, blood curling, agony.

"Mai?" Ciel looked over at Mai, for once in his life, feeling truly frightened for her. Mai looked up at Ciel, tears of blood rolling down her face. Mai's nails dug into the ground while she let out another tortured scream. Her beautiful gold eyes drained of color, leaving her irises pure white. A thin black ring was around her irises to separate them from the whites of her eyes. Her gold hair turned turned a light blonde, falling in waves down to her waist. The back of her maid uniform ripped open, and large, soft pink, angel wings grew from her back. As soon as her wings were out, the pain had stopped. She felt like a new person. Mai looked down, and saw a whip in her hand. She grasped the whip tightly before looking at Grell.

"GRELL! YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS!"


	10. Revenge

Grell looked between Mai and Sebastian's now appearing film. "But Seba-chans film!" Mai growled and leaped onto the roof without a response. The wind suddenly picked up in fierce intensity. If not for the three being supernatural beings, they would have been immediately blown away.

"I don't care. You ruined everything for me, and now you have to pay." She hissed in a low voice, her eyes glaring into Grell's, even though he seemed to be paying attention to Sebastian's film; despite the strong wind. A familiar "Ho, ho, ho," Filled the air, and Mai glanced at Sebastian's film. It seemed to all revolve Ciel and the others, and all the crazy things that happen around the manner.

"WHAT? WHAT IS THIS?" Grell screamed as he watched the film. This was the last thing he expected. Sebastian held his wound and let out a shaky laugh.

"This has been my life for the past year with the young master." Sebastian said, his expression weakly triumphed.

"But I'm not interested in these people! Show me something more interesting!" _'Oh I'll show you something more interesting..' _Mai thought with hate. Sebastian suddenly appeared beside him and put a bloody finger to his lips.

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to pay to see the rest of the show." Mai smiled bitterly at Grell's expression.

"Speaking of payment, I believe you owe me some." Mai tightening her grip on her whip before she lashed out. The beautiful white whip struck the side of Grell's face, making it swell instantly. Grell suddenly turned to Mai, his eyes filled with an angry vengeance.

"MY FACE! MY BEAUTIFUL FACE!" Grell then lunged at Mai, his mouth set in a sneer. Mai laughed mockingly at his feeble attempt to attack her as she dashed beside Sebastian. Sebastian wiped the blood off his mouth and looked over his tattered clothes with obvious disappointment.

"Hey, are you okay?" Mai stage whispered, still holding her whip up defensively. Sebastian let out a short sigh before replying,

"My clothing will need to be replaced. Which is a shame, since the young master gave it to me." Mai narrowed her eyes at him, knowing fully well he was avoiding her question. But she didn't have time to question him further before Grell cut in.

"I don't think you should be worrying about your clothes at this time. And I would feel better if that evil maid would get away from you." Mai let out another mocking laugh, not being able to feel anything but anger and hatred.

"Me? Evil? Speak for yourself." She spat, lashing out her whip at the soul reaper. Grell flipped over her attack before she hit his chest.

"Hey! Watch where you throw that thing!" He yelled before moving to attack her again. Sebastian quickly took off his coat and seemed to be taunting Grell. Grell smiled at his action.

"Oh, does this mean your going to take this seriously?" He purred as he aimed his chainsaw at him. "Let's end this on the next blow. No holding back. Soon we'll be together in the next world." The two ran at each other, Sebastian still hanging onto his tattered coat. When he got close enough he jammed the coat into the soul reapers scythe.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to refer to this move, but it seems I've run out of options. It's already ruined as you can see." Grell stared at his scythe in disbelief.

"EH?" He tried to tug the coat out, but it refused to come lose. "W-Why won't it come out?" His voice was now in a panic as he saw Sebastian slowly progressing towards him.

"You see, my coat conducts electricity due to the fabric it is made of. If something were to jam your soul reapers scythe, then it would render useless." Mai silently followed behind, curious of what Sebastian might do to Grell. When he was less than a foot from him, he smiled menacingly. "Now tell me something. Can that scythe of yours still be used?" Mai smiled at the hesitation and pure fear in Grell's eyes. "And if your just a defenseless person, than I'm certain of what I'm going to do next." Mai walked to Sebastian's side and looked down at Grell.

"Don't you mean _we_, Sebastian?" She asked in a playful tone. He's not the only one who's allowed to kick Grell's butt. Grell began backing away from the two.

"W-Wait! M-M-My face!" Mai placed her whip lightly over her shoulder.

"Don't worry. Your face is already messed up. Besides, I think you look better that way." She glanced at Sebastian before turning back. "We're just going to fix your features a little more." The two mercilessly ganged up on Grell, ignoring his cries and pleading. They made sure they also rearranged his face very nicely. Grell's glasses were broken, and blood ran down his nose and the corner of his mouth. Both of his cheeks were now swollen, and he was severely bruised all over.

"You...Just you wait...ugh..." Grell moaned through his pain. He was now on the ground, near Ciel, but far from Madam Red's body. Mai glanced behind her, and saw Ciel. He was still looking at Madam Red's body, and he didn't look well himself. Mai slowly turned away from Grell and Sebastian, and began making her way over to Ciel and Madam Red. She watched as Ciel took his coat off and placed it over Madam Red, hiding most of the gruesome scene. She knelt down next to Ciel, not saying anything. She thought about putting a comforting hand on him, but quickly ditched the idea. '_Oh yeah.. he doesn't like to be touched..'_ Mai thought with an odd feeling of disappointment.

"..I'm sorry..." Her voice sounded hoarse with sadness. Ciel avoided her gaze, keeping his eyes on his beloved aunt.

"It doesn't matter.." Ciel replied quietly. His eyes were filled with such a deep sadness, it broke Mai's heart. More than anything, she wanted to wrap her arms around him, and cry the tears he couldn't shed. But she had to remember who she was to him. And that she was just a maid. Nothing more, nothing less. At least she hoped. In the background, Mai could hear Grell's pleads as Sebastian further tortured him.

"S-Stop it! It...It...It.. H-Hurts!" Mai had to glance behind her to make sure Sebastian was keeping his torturing to a minimum. He was just stomping on his face. Sebastian then picked up Grell's scythe and effortlessly tore his jacket out. "As you have told me, this can cut through anything? Soul reapers being no exception?" Grell stared up at him in mute horror. "Well then, I should send you on your way." Sebastian revved the chainsaw and brought it up over his head.

"W-Wait! Pl-ease, I beg of you!" Sebastian smiled like he was having the time of his life.

"I don't want to." He replied before bringing the chainsaw down on him.

"NOO!" Grell's screaming was enough to make Ciel look up, though his scowl was still fixed into place. Suddenly a metal object blocked Grell's chainsaw, thoroughly halting Sebastian's attack. Mai's eyes flitted to the rooftops, following the long metal object. A silhouette of a figure stood on the roof under the full moon. The figure held an odd weapon, though from what Mai could see, it was able to stretch vast distances.

"Sorry to interrupt your little fight.." A serious-and frustrated- voice rang out in the silent ally. The figure leaped off the rooftops and landed in front of Grell and Sebastian. The figure wore a black suit and black gloves- although he didn't look like a crow like Sebastian. He wore glasses, and he held a thick leather bound book in his hand. "I am William T. Spears." The man introduced himself to the trio in front of him. Grell's face lit up immediately, he words full of relief.

"Will! William! You came here to save me.." William then promptly stepped on Grell, making him face-plant in the ground.

"Grell Sutcliff, you have broken many rules." William opened the leather bound book and began reading off the list of violations. "First you killed people who were not on the death list. Secondly, you did not have permission to use your death scythe without filling out proper forms." Mai and Ciel stared at William in disbelief. William then grabbed Grell's long, red hair. "Please come back to the courts to file your letter and report." He began dragging him away down the ally.

"W-Wait, I was almost killed!"

"Shut up." Will replied coldly while flipping Grell over, making him crack the concrete on impact. Will then left Grell and walked up to Sebastian. He then bowed and presented him with a business card. "This thing has caused a lot of trouble. Here is my name card." Will then glared up at Sebastian under his lashes. "To think I have to bow to a creature that brings nothing but pain and destruction." He said disgusted. "Even you must have a limit when it comes to tarnishing the soul reapers name." Sebastian smiled deviously.

"In that case, keep a close eye on him so he does not get in trouble with a harmful creature like me." He said, enjoying the moment more than necessary. Will then looked back at Ciel and Mai.

"Well you seem to be kept on a tight leash, so your fine. For now." Ciel stared back, not having anything to hide. Mai did the same, though she felt a little queasy under his gaze. William then brushed past Sebastian and walked over to Ciel and Mai. Mai felt her chest tighten and her heart being shoved in her throat. Mai was sure he was going to talk to Ciel, but, as she feared, he was walking more towards her. When he was close enough, he bowed once more. Mai stared with wide eyes, not understanding why he was bowing to her. "Though it was a shame to help the demon, it was an honor to serve you My Lady." He said, his voice filled with respect. Ciel stared at the two, and almost flinched. Now that he got a better look at Mai, he felt the evidence sink in. Mai has angel wings. Her eyes are white, and her hair is a light gold. She's truly an angel.

"M-My-My WHAT?" Mai exclaimed in a shaky voice. William looked up at her and smiled a small smile of kindness.

"Indeed. You are an angel, and that is the most highly honored status in the soul reapers court. Therefore, you must be given the highest honored title." William slowly stood up, thought he still spoke to Mai. "I have never met an angel before, but I must say what a true honor it was to meet you." Without another word, William turned around and briskly walked away. He grabbed the end of Grell's hair as he passed, dragging him into the darkness. Just before the two disappeared, Sebastian flicked his wrist and sent Grell's scythe flying towards William. Will easily caught it between his pointer and middle finger. He turned around and glared at Sebastian.

"You forgot that." Sebastian spoke innocently. William narrowed his eyes.

"Thank you. And now I think I shall take my leave." He said as he once again walked away into the darkness, dragging a pouting Grell behind. Sebastian then walked towards Ciel with a saddened expression.

"I'm sorry, I let the other one get away." Ciel replied in a monotone voice,

"I don't care..." Mai took in her surroundings, and tried to figure out what happened. She wasn't herself. She couldn't feel anything but anger and hatred. _'Who am I anymore...?' _Mai blinked a couple times, now realizing how weary she was. While Mai was trying to unscramble the mess in her brain, Sebastian laid a bloody hand on Ciel's cheek.

"Your body is cold. Let's quickly make our way back to the mansion." Sebastian tried to speak in an off hand tone to lighten Ciel's mood, even if slightly. Sebastian peeked over at Mai, and saw her white eyes return to their golden color, and her hair darken. Her eyes then fluttered closed, and she fell to the ground, her wings disappearing seconds after. Sebastian sighed and turned back to Ciel. "What do you wish to do with her young master?" Ciel looked at Mai's sleeping figure, finding it oddly comforting. More so than Sebastian's words.

"I wish to pretend this never happened. I want you to make it look like it was all a dream. That's an order Sebastian." Sebastian figuratively put a bloody hand over his heart.

"Yes my lord." Ciel then stood up and immediately stumbled into Sebastian. Sebastian quickly caught Ciel before he quickly slapped his hand away. "My lord.." Sebastian stared at Ciel confused.

"I'm fine... I can stand up on my own." Ciel kept his eyes on the ground, avoiding Sebastian's curious gaze. "I..I just..feel.. a little tired." Sebastian nodded, and without another word, gently picked up Ciel, and scooped up Mai, and quickly headed for home.


	11. Secret Truth

~**Hey guys, I finally updated the new chapter. Yay! And this is a very special chapter. All of you I'm sure are going to scream FINALLY! when your done reading this :3 Oh, and I would like to thank my amazing friend 18tails ( creator of Mai Hondan) For all her help throughout the story. Your the best~! Also, reviews would be much appreciated! thank you :) ~ **

Mai awoke early the next morning. Sunlight streamed through the closed curtains of her room. Mai slowly got up and winced. It felt like every muscle in her body ached. '_Ugh... What happened last night?' _She wondered as she slowly made herself crawl out of bed. Suddenly Mai caught her breath and froze with one foot on the ground. Images from the night before flashed in her mind like a roll of film. Grell kidnapping her, Madam Red being 'Jack the ripper', Madam Red attacking her and Ciel, Grell fighting Sebastian, Madam Red dying, and...and..

Mai stumbled to her dresser mirror and turned around. Her fingers trailed down the small of her back, going over the smooth fabric covering her skin. She scowled at herself. "There should be two holes, right here.." Mai stared at her horrid uniform in disbelief; there was nothing wrong with it. _'It must have been a dream... yes, that has to be it. It's just a dream..' _Mai breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly went downstairs, eager to see Finny's smiling face. He could cheer her up in a second no doubt. Mai silently made her way downstairs, her hand lightly gliding down the cold wooden railing as she went. The manner seemed oddly bright today, like the sun was trying to fill every shadow in the house; it was nice. Mai walked around on the first floor and looked around. The manner was strangely quiet today, a little too quiet. "Where is everyone..?" Mai spoke to herself as she looked in the dining room, and one of the two game rooms. There wasn't a sign of anyone. Mai grimaced as she made her way to the kitchen. '_They wouldn't just randomly leave me here would they? Well, Ciel maybe, and probably Sebastian, but the others...?' _Mai's worries were instantly put to rest as she opened the kitchen door. Mey-rin was cleaning the counter tops, constantly moving up the glasses the slid down her nose. Mai sighed in relief again and spoke,

_ "_Morning Mey-rin." Mey-rin suddenly looked up and broke out in a huge smile.

"Morning Mai. How are you this fine morning?" '_Is it just me, or does Mey-rin sound a little too... preppy this morning?'_ Mai thought as she replied,

"I'm really sore actually. Do you recall anything from last night? I can't seem to remember.." It's the truth, she couldn't remember anything after going to sleep and having the horrid dream. Though Mai worried that is _wasn't_ a dream. Mey-rin smiled shakily.

"Oh, nothing really. I went to bed soon after you did, since my work was done for the day." Mai nodded, not feeling any better. Mai sat down in one of the tall chairs and lied her chin on her arms.

"Does the manner seem a little quiet today?" Mey-rin nodded, not looking up from her work.

"Yes, the young master and Sebastian went into town today for an important meeting. I believe they will be gone for the day." Mai nodded and got up- wincing slightly- and went out in the garden to find Finny. '_The quiet doesn't seem as welcoming as it used to..' _Mai thought before she mentally slapped herself. '_NO! No, stop it... I'm not going to let one dream change what I think of Ciel.' _She thought to herself sternly. '_But maybe it already has.' _A small voice in the back of her head spoke up. "NO!"

"Mai? Are you okay?" Bard walked up behind her,wearing his usual white apron, a cigar in his mouth. He looked at Mai nervously, as if she were on the edge of a breakdown. Mai felt heat flood her cheeks as she looked at Bard with shocked eyes.

"I'm sorry. This thought it just bugging me.." '_Understatement.' _She thought grimly as she looked at the worried chef. "I-I didn't sleep well last night. This dream.. it's been bugging." Mai wasn't sure why she was opening up to him, to anyone, but she found it was easier to talk to the servants than anyone else. They were all she had.., well, except for-

"Oh, did you have a nightmare? Yeah, I know what it's like. But you'll get over it soon. It's best not to think about it." Mai studied Bard closely, looking deep into his eyes. Bard took a hesitant step back. "Is something wrong?" Mai looked at him for another second before shaking her head.

"Nothing. I'm just..." Mai struggled to find the right words, but they didn't come. "It's nothing. I'm sorry." She said, quickly walking away from the confused-and slightly frightened- chef. Mai picked at a strand of her hair as she walked through the garden to find Finny. Dew drops gleamed in the sunlight, making the garden looking more beautiful. If that was even possible. _'How can a garden so beautiful, be in such a frightening place?' _She thought eerily as she walked down the stone path. Suddenly a shower of water fell on Mai, lightly drenching her hair and uniform. Mai looked up from her thoughts, angry that someone sprayed her with water. Her eyes fell on a smiling Finny, who was _innocently_ watering the flowers. Mai's fierce glare turned into a big grin as she walked over to the gardener.

"Hey Finny, haven'-" Mai stopped short as she looked at the plant in front of her. Or should she say, multiple plants, made into one. "Uhhh..." Finny looked down at Mai, his eyes practically glowing.

"Isn't it great? I spent all morning working on it." Finny looked at his work, clearly proud of his effort and creativity. Mai had to hand it to him, it was impressive. It was a giant sculpture of a robot. Go figure. The robot was made mainly from bushes for the main body parts, and he used vine and small flowers to make it look more intricate. The robot also had to blue roses for eyes..

'_Don't think about it.' _Mai thought sternly, wanting to stay away from thoughts of Ciel. Even though her mind wanted to do anything but. "That's amazing Finny." Her voice was filled with awe as she walked towards the work of art. Well, she thought it was a work of art. When she got closer to it, she saw it was taller than her by several feet. _'Wow.'_

"I've been wanting to do this for awhile now. Robots are awesome!" Mai turned towards him and stared for a second before bursting out laughing; which made Finny start laughing too. In the middle of their laughing fit, Finny frowned at the sky. Mai gave him a puzzled look and looked up to see big clouds of gray rolling in. It was moving at such a fast pace it was almost scary. But this isn't the first time she's had to deal with storms. Especially when she was out...

Mai's heart ached as she thought of her past. She missed her father so much. Heck, she even missed her brother, even though he was a psycho maniac with major issues. But that was something she didn't want to get into now.

"I guess it's going to start storming." Finny nodded as he grabbed Mai's hand and began walking back to the manner. Mai didn't hesitate to follow, until she passed the secret garden. Mai dug her heels into the ground, which was hard since it was made of stone, but Finny kept walking ahead. It's like he didn't notice her trying to stop. He was almost dragging her at this point. '_ Yeesh, this boy is STRONG' _She thought disbelievingly. "Finny, I have to do something really quick." Finny stopped walking and glanced back at Mai, worry clear on his face.

"Do you want me to come with you? I don't want you to get caught in this storm." Mai looked back up at the sky, and the clouds seemed to have covered the entire sky, blocking out the warmth and light of the sun. Oh the irony... The sky was turning a strange light purple, which didn't look good at all.

"No really, I'll be okay. I'll be in in just a minute." Finny looked into her eyes for a moment before nodding and hurrying off to the sanctuary of the manner. Mai quickly made her way to the garden, nestling herself under the familiar roots of the old oak tree. "Hello garden. It's been a long time hasn't it?" Everything was silent for what seemed like forever until she got a soft,

"_Yes it has child. Much as happened to you since the last time we've talked." _Mai nodded in agreement.

"Though I can't say they're all good things. I found out I'm an angel, which is a good thing, but..."

"_You are having unwanted feelings for the child running the household?" _ The garden finished for her. Mai nodded vigorously, happy to know she understands. The gardens tinkling laugh was drowned out by a roll of thunder. '_My sweet Mai, there's no such thing as unwanted feelings when it comes to love." _

Mai blinked a few times, hoping she heard her wrong and the storm is affecting her hearing. Or the gardens talking. "I'm sorry, I must have heard you wrong. I thought you said _love_" She laughed to herself, as if the very thought was impossible. Which, to her, it was.

_"Oh but it's true. I never lie. And your love for the child is filling your heart and soul at this very moment." _Mai shook her head and slowly got up.

"How can such a thing be true?" She didn't stick around to hear the garden's answer, too overwhelmed by this new information. Love? For real? No way... Love doesn't exist for Mai Hondan. She wouldn't allow it. Though she couldn't force her heart to stop fluttering like a butterfly. It was probably because of the storm Mai decided as she stepped into the manner, closing the double glass doors behind her. The manner looked much darker without the little bit of sunlight to light the haunted hallways. Candles were placed everywhere in the manner to make up for the lack of sun. Mai forced back a shudder as she ran up the stars two at a time. She would have to wear Lizzie's dress she left for her while her uniform dried off. Mai hastily walked to her room, eager to get out of her wet clothes. Just when she reached her room she almost fell on her face. Mey-rin left her door open to her room.

"**I love you Mey-rin," **Mey-rin held a Sebastian plushie, making her voice deeper to play his part. She blushed at her own compliment.

"S-Sebastian! I-I didn't know you felt this way about me!" Mai clamped her mouth shut with her hand, trying with all her might not to roll on the floor laughing.

"**I've always loved you, my beauty." **Mai couldn't take it more, and she made fake coughing noises, though it was mixed in with giggles.

"Ahem?" Mai couldn't say her name without laugh. Her throat hurt from the effort. Mey-rin jumped off her bed, her face redder than she's ever seen before.

"I WASN'T HOLDING A SEBASTIAN PLUSHIE!" Mey-rin instantly dropped the toy, looking away from the door.

"Mey-rin, are you okay?"

"M-Mai! I thought I was alone!" Mai shook her head slowly, now feeling bad for the embarrassed maid.

"I'm sorry, your door was opened a crack, and I thought a Sebas-" Mai was abruptly pulled into Mey-rin's room, the door closing with a loud _slam._

"You mustn't tell anyone about this. And I mean _anyone_." Mey-rin was scary close to Mai, which made her quickly flinch away.

"O-Of... Yeah, I wont tell anyone." Her eyes flickered towards the door, wanting to go back to her room.

"Good." Mey-rin smiled, back to her normal, ever so clumsy, self. "Well, since your here, and you happen to know.." Mey-rin slowly walked over to a small wooden closet in the corner of her small room. She opened one of the two doors and a pile of Sebastian plushies flooded out. Mai's eyes were as wide as the moon as she watched the Sebastian's cover the floor. Honestly, this was just plain scary. And, who needed this many plushies of one person?

When the last plushie fell out, with an undeniably cute _squeak_, Mai looked up at Mey-rin a devious smile now on her face. "So... you like Sebastian, do you?" The maid giggled nervously, a light blush covering her face.

"Yeah.. a little." Mai looked at her incredulously. '_Yeah, or maybe A LOT!'_

"Okay, I've spilled my secret, what about yours?" Mai flinched away, looking as though she were avoiding to be hit.. _'Dang it!' _Darn Ciel..

"I don't have a secret." Mai spoke confidently, though it was true. She didn't have any secrets. That she knew of. Mey-rin looked severely disappointed.

"Really? Because, I always thought... you know.., you had feelings for the young master." A strange pang entered in Mai's chest, making it's way down to her finger tips, along with a clawing feeling of nervousness in her stomach.

"I don't know what your talking about." Mai mumbled, looking away from Mey-rin at the floor. Mey-rin moved her glasses up her nose before she spoke, also looking down at the floor.

"Mai, I can see it in your eyes. You don't seem to notice, but you do have feelings for him." Mey-rin spoke quietly, but seriously.

"NO I DON'T!" Mai's gold eyes drained of color, leaving her irises a dangerous white. Mey-rin paled, looking as though she were on the verge of panicking and tears at any second. Even though Mai was furious, she still felt guilty.

"I'm sorry. Things have been hard lately and.. I'm just confused. That's all." Mey-rin nodded her head in understanding, though she still looked as pale as a ghost.

"It's perfectly okay. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have questioned you." Mai flushed lightly, feeling more and more guilty by the second. Her eyes slowly but surely turned back to their original gold color. Then, surprising even herself, Mai smiled around someone, other than Finny, for the first time in what seems like a hundred years.

After talking to Mey-rin for awhile, Mai let herself out of her room and walked back down the hallway. Her clothes were dry by now, so she didn't bother to change out of them. Though it would be nice to wear some different clothes once in a while.. Mai slowly walked downstairs, glancing over her shoulder at one of the two main windows. The storm was advancing fast, but it was still dry. Without a second thought, Mai hurriedly walked to the door, looking behind herself as she went. She felt like a criminal trying to escape jail, but she needed to think, and there was a small fringe of forest close by. She needed to get back to the place where she felt most peaceful, where she felt most at home.

When Mai was sure there was no one around to catch her, she opened the door and jogged outside, heading towards the tall pine trees of the forest. As Mai jogged, she noticed the thunder was louder than before, and the sky slowly turned to an ugly shade of red. Mai didn't let it get to her, knowing she wouldn't be gone for long.

As she got closer, the familiar smells of the forest surrounded her, greeting her like someone would to a loved one. The moment she stepped in the soft, sweet smelling dirt, she knew she was home. Peace swelled through her like a great ball of energy. Energy that was long gone and desperately needed. The first thing Mai noticed was the lack of animals. The forest was dead silent, not even the soft whisper of the wind was brushing through the plants and trees. Mai shuddered from the silence but walked ahead, wanting to clear her mind. She needed that more than anything. Otherwise, she might actually break down, or even worse, go crazy. Which is something she really didn't need at the moment.

Mai focused on the soft _crunch_ of the fallen leaves, and the occasional _snap_ of small twigs. She was so lost in her 'not thinking' exercise, she didn't notice when the wind began to pick up. First it started soft, but grew faster and faster at an alarming rate. It wasn't until her hair got whipped in front of her face that Mai stopped walking. She brushed her bangs aside and gasped as she saw branches on trees being tossed around. The leaves were rustling so loud it was deafening. Mai sprinted away from the forest, but she couldn't remember which way she came. She was too self focused to know which way came and to know her way out.

The wind suddenly spiked, effortlessly knocking Mai to the ground. Panic began to rise in Mai's throat as she crawled to the nearest tree. The wind was suddenly blowing so hard she could barely grab the thick roots of an elm tree. It seemed the more she panicked, the harder the wind blew. Mai held the root with all her strength, hoping it was enough to endure what was coming. She looked from under her eyelashes and saw the clouds now going in a circle. Mai closed her eyes on held on to the root harder. She knew what was coming; a tornado.

A funnel was formed, and the tornado touched the ground. The tornado was frighteningly big. Like, almost as scary as Sebastian, big. The tree She was holding onto gave a tough jerk. Mai screamed, trying to cling to the tree while trying to look for another. Maybe if she could somehow grab onto another root, she'd be okay. But the trees that momentarily surrounded her were thin and weak. The thicker trees were a few feet away. But she couldn't reach them even if she tried.

"MAI!" Her name traveled through the screaming wind, though she didn't know how she could have possibly heard. She couldn't tell who it was, but she screamed with all her might,

"GET AWAY!" Mai fervently hoped whoever came to help would run away while they still could. Before they would get hurt, or worse. The tornado grew louder and louder, roaring like a giant monster.

Mai was sure she was going to die, so she began thinking, really thinking. How her entire down burnt down, she'll never know. She didn't want to know, if she was being honest with herself. Being at the mansion with Finny, Bard, and Mey-rin have been some of the best times of her life. She would never forget those times. Especially Finny. He always lightened her world when she was pulled into the dark. If he wasn't here, she wasn't sure what would become of her. Mey-rin has always been good with emotional support, although she was the clumsiest girl she's ever met. Bard has been really amusing, and she likes his way of thinking. There's been times where she wanted to ask him if she could barrow his flame thrower to use on Ciel. Not that she ever would, but... '_Ciel...'_

Mai didn't want to think about him, but she knew she had to. '_I love how Ciel is unique, and he's his own person. He's independent, and sometimes caring. He's been through a lot, just like me, but it seems like he's suffered more tragedies than I ever have. I like it when he blushes, because he looks really adorable. And I love it when he smiles his small- not meant to be seen- smiles. I love teasing him, and...'_

"MAI!" Mai looked up from her final thoughts and her eyes went white. Finny struggled relentlessly against the wind, trying with all his might to get to Mai. His eyes were determined to get to her, even if it costs him his own life. Before she could even react to his recklessness, a great sound of breaking wood filled Mai's ear, and an uprooted tree came flying from behind Finny.

"NO!" Mai shrieked as she flew to Finny, knocking him to the ground. The uprooted tree past over their heads, crashing against a thin, frail tree. Mai already felt herself being pushed back by the howling wind. Finny held on to Mai as tight as he could without hurting her. He wouldn't let her go; no matter what. Mai looked in Finny's eyes, and felt a deep sense of knowing within herself. In a voice that belonged to another being, she commanded,

"_Wind, I command you to stop your destruction on this land and leave._" The wind suddenly stopped, the screaming now silent. For a moment Mai thought she has gone deaf, but when she heard the distant crashes of falling debris, she knew she was okay.

"Mai, you're an angel." Feeling more than a little confused, and a little light headed, Mai turned to Finny, not knowing what to say. Deep down, she knew what she was. But she wanted to reject it, wanting to stay the same person she always way. To be normal, or even slightly normal. But the truth was, she has never been normal. This isn't how her life is meant to be. She is meant to be an angel, and live a unique and interesting life, full of twists and turns. She can't be normal. Not knowing what to do, Mai smiled and replied shakily,

"Y-yeah.. I..I guess I am." She didn't want to think about how Sebastian tried to hide this from her, how he and Ciel weren't really on a business trip, Madam really was her illegal mother, Ciel is at her funeral...

Even though this all sounded bad, Mai couldn't bring herself to feel upset, or even angry. It's kind of hard to care for someone she's never known, and that same person tried to kill her. As for Sebastian deceiving her, she should have known he would pull a stunt like that. Putting all thoughts aside, Mai focused on the matter at hand.

"What were you thinking Finny? You could have gotten hurt! Or worse, you could have gotten killed! I probably would have been okay, but I can't let you get hurt. Your my best friend, and I don't want anything bad happening to you." Finny's eyes watered slightly, but he still looked determined. He sat up and looked straight into Mai's eyes, his expression serious.

"I know what could have happened, but when the storm began to worsen, Bard and Mey-rin wanted to go to the basement. We tried to look for you, but we couldn't find you anywhere. Bard assumed you might be in the woods, since you seem to love it there so much. We went out to find you, but when the wind became too strong, they went back in. I couldn't leave you out here, so I kept looking. I would do anything for you Mai, because I don't think you of you as my best friend." Mai felt her heart stop beating in suspense. Finny wasn't going to admit to anything was he? Mai hoped with all her might he wouldn't. He was her only friend, and she didn't want that ruined. Especially since she doesn't feel the same way. "I think of you as my sister." Mai's stricken expression softened, and she let out a small sigh of relieve. She broke out in a smile and hugged Finny, gently wrapping her large pink wings around him.

"Thank you."

When the two finally made it back to the manner, the sun was beginning to set. Mai couldn't believe it, remembering it to be early morning just a few minutes ago. Apparently, she's been out in the woods for a few hours, but that still didn't explain the rest of the day. Finny smiled at her confused expression, and mentioned how the days seem to go by faster and faster every day the stay at the manner. That's probably true, since she couldn't seem to keep track of the days anymore. They just all seemed to be blurred into one big mush. Mai grimaced as Finny opened the door for her. Her uniform was officially unwearable since it had dirt and holes in it. '_Yayyy!'_ Mai cheered silently to herself, more than happy that her uniform was ruined. That means she can stop wearing it, and hopefully wear something more _decent_.

The second Mai stepped into the manner, she was glomped by Mey-rin, who was talking so fast, she couldn't understand what on earth she was saying.

"Mai! I'm so glad you okay! We were so worried about you, and we thought the storm got to you! What if something really bad happened to you? Or what if you got blown away into some other dimension and we never saw you again! That would be terrible! It would be like _Alice in wonderland_! Then you would have to make friends with a crazy mad-hatter and a talking bunny while you fight the evil red queen to escape!" Mey-rin had a closer look at Mai before she yelled, "And your an angel too? No way! That's impossible! I mean, I'm not saying it's _impossible, _but this is just unbelievable! Your wings look really pretty and your eyes look cool too." Mai gave Mey-rin a blank look, WTFlip clearly hanging above her head.

"Uh..what?" She didn't realize she was still in angel mode. She barely noticed her wings there anymore.

"Wow. That's really impressive. I knew something was off about you."Bard said before Mey-rin could explain everything she just said. "But anyways,we're just glad you're okay. You shouldn't be so reckless. You could get really hurt. Even if you are an angel." Mai wanted to shrink down, feeling like a little child being scolded by an adult. But she also wanted to give Bard a round of applause. He was taking it a lot better than she would have thought. Well, Finny took it well too, but Mey-rin... not so much. Bard looked her over as he said, "So how do you make those wings of yours go away? I don't know how the young master would feel if he saw his maid with pink wings and white eyes." Mai blinked a few times, letting his words sink in. _'White eyes? Huh, I guess that's cool...'_ Mai shrugged mostly to herself and said,

"I don't know. I guess I haven't had to think about it." She tried closing her eyes and imagining her wings going back in, and gold filling in her white eyes. After a moment, she opened her eyes and saw her wings were gone, but she wasn't sure about her eyes. Everyone had their mouths hanging open, so she was sure she looked fine again. Well, maybe not fine, but herself.

"Better?" Everyone nodded their heads in silent shock. Mai nodded her head and began to make her way to the stairs, now realizing she felt completely drained of energy. By this point, she was running on fumes, and that's never a good thing. "I'm going to sleep for the night." She mumbled quietly as she slowly climbed the stairs.

"Aren't you going to eat anything?" Bard asked before she disappeared upstairs. Mai lightly shook her head, looking over at Bard's worried face.

"No.. I might fall asleep at the table. Or worse, I just might fall off the chair." She smiled at her own witty comment as she continued walking the stairs. It was pitch black up there, except for the occasional candle sitting on side tables. Mai trudged to her room, eager to be done with the day, and escape reality. She's had just about enough of it. Mai reached for the door handle and opened the door to her room. She was welcomed with the soft blue glow of the moon. Her bed looked inviting, just begging her to be wrapped up in it's soft, warm sheets. Mai quickly stripped of her uniform, tripping over herself in her haste. It was just too ratty to sleep in. She'll have to figure out what to do about that tomorrow. She quickly combed through her hair with her fingers, letting her gold hair frame around her body.

Mai eagerly climbed into bed, and gently closed her eyes, falling asleep. Her last thought was what she was going to do about her feelings for Ciel?

"Young master, are you okay? You've been awfully quiet on the trip back." Sebastian looked down at Ciel with his usual fake concern. Ciel never saw through it, or at least, he didn't think he did. Ciel turned to Sebastian, looking bored and very tired.

"Yes, I'm fine. Now will you stop asking me questions?" He was too tired really snap back like he wanted too. Sebastian nodded his head and stared out the other window. The _click clack_ of the carriage was soothing, sounding almost like a lullaby. Ciel felt his lids getting heavy as he stared out at the quiet night. Crickets chirped, and frogs croaked. He even saw the occasional fire fly, flying in clusters. The moonlight bathed the trees and grass in a lulling soft blue. Ciel was tempted to go outside and sleep under the light of the moon, but he shoved the thought out of his mind. It was ridiculous to think like that. To replace his boredom, Ciel thought about the day. Yes, Madam Red's funeral was really sad, and many people were crying, including his fiancee, Elizabeth. It was still hard to believe she was Mai's adoptive mother of sorts. Part of him wanted to refuse to believe it, since she never signed the adoption papers, Mai wasn't hers. But another part of him couldn't deny that Madam Red had cared for Mai, even if she didn't realize it until the end. Deep inside him he knew it was wrong not to bring Mai along, but it wouldn't have looked good for Madam Red's reputation. Questions would spread like wild fire and bring unnecessary attention to him and the manner. The only thing he could think to do for her was slip Mai's bracelet onto Madam Red's wrist as he gave her the red dress.

Ciel almost growled to himself in frustration. He's been thinking of Mai all day, not once being able to get her out of his head. Or course, there has been a couple times he hasn't thought about her, but she always came back to mind. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to get her out of his thoughts so badly, but he knew better than to ask Sebastian. He might give him a concussion or something. No thanks. But deep inside of, he knew he didn't want to forget his thoughts about her. In his deepest heart of hearts, he knew he cared for her, whether he liked it or not. Maybe their meant to be together? How can two people, who have been through so much, and hate each other with such a passion, come to love each other? The thought seemed to go round and round in his subconscious, although Ciel wasn't aware of it.

The carriage slowed to a halt in front of the Phantomhive manner quicker than Ciel would have ever thought. Sebastian opened the door and stepped out, offering his hand to him. As usual, Ciel never took it, being able to get out of the carriage himself. As they walked up the lengthy drive way, Sebastian studied his young master. He's been unnaturally spacing out for great deals of time today. It was honestly starting to worry him, only because he doesn't want anything to happen to his soul. Longer than Sebastian would have liked, they made it to the large front door of the manner. Sebastian opened it with ease, never finding the need to lock it, unless everyone was gone. And that almost never happened.

The manner was as dark as a starless night, except for a few candles nesting in the corners of the manner. Ciel immediately walked towards the stairs, wanting to go to bed after a long day. Sebastian silently followed him behind until he remembered he needed to check the manner for damaged. For one thing, he was gone all day, leaving the manner in the hands of his servants, and the terrible storm that was nearby.

"I'll be upstairs momentarily Young Master." Sebastian said, looking at Ciel apologetically. Ciel nodded, not paying any mind to him as he went upstairs. He was almost to his room, nothing going through his mind except how much he wanted to go to sleep and never wake up. This wouldn't be the first time he's thought like this. Things would just be so much easier... no contract, not worrying about adult matters, no dealing with the servants.. '_No Mai.._' The thought passed through his mind like a soft breeze, a soft whisper among the louder thoughts. Ciel shook his head sharply, hoping the thought would fly out. Not wanting to think about Mai made him look to the side, like he usually does when he doesn't want to deal with someone. Or something. While looking to the side, Ciel saw Mai's room opened ajar. He saw her uniform strewn across the floor. Looking oddly dirty and a large hole in one side. Ciel's eyes widened and without giving himself permission he began her door open. He just wanted to check on her, that was all. And he wanted to yell at Sebastian for not being more careful about Mai and her angel powers. Something bad must have happened to make Mai turn angel. On that note, Ciel looked away from the tattered uniform to Mai's bed. The crescent moon shined lightly on Mai's face, making her look peaceful. Ciel's never seen Mai at peace before. He seen a few sides of her, but peace is not one of them. Wanting to get a closer look, he slowly walked to her side, being careful not to make loud noises that could wake her up. '_Do angels have good hearing?'_ Although it was a precautionary thought, it made him sound like a little kid who doesn't know what something is. Or in this case, someone. He looked down on her and thought, _'She looks so...calm. She even looks-' _Ciel stopped his thought short. What he thought at first was just fact, but then it turned into something that wasn't fact. But that didn't mean it wasn't true but, ugh!

But the word _beautiful _did come to mind when he looked at Mai's sleeping face. She didn't look sad or angry. It was almost unbearable to look into her eyes on a daily basis, knowing how much pain and suffering filled them. Ciel noticed once or twice the way she looked at Finny; she didn't look sad or angry. It was the closest he's ever seen her be happy. Heck, he could get her laughing without even trying. Ciel's thoughts jumped to the first day he heard Mai laugh. Though she was laughing him, he couldn't say it didn't sound nice. It's like a strange music he's never heard; nothing else in the world sounded better. If he could, he would listen to her laugh all day..

A strange _pang_ shot through Ciel's chest, spreading down to his finger tips and toes, leaving a soft warmth behind. He felt himself wanting to be closer to her, and his feet subconsciously moved along with his desire. He leaned in towards Mai, his eyes resting on her small, soft lips. His lips barely brushed against hers before she shifted in bed mumbling clearly,

"Ciel..." Ciel abruptly straightened up, afraid he might have woken her. If she saw him in her room, there's no doubt she'll beat him down. He'd never allow it of course, but he knew she was capable of it. Her eyes were still closed as rested her hands under her head and pressed her knees against her chest.

_'She's dreaming about me?'_ The smallest of all genuine smiles then appeared on the boys lips before he quietly slipped out of Mai's room. Ciel walked straight to his room- hoping not to bring attention to himself- and went to bed without changing his clothes. '_What just happened...?'_

"Too tired to change Young Master?" Sebastian's voice was suddenly beside him. Ciel internally cursed, knowing he wouldn't be able to get away from him. Or to put it better, he forgot about him. He could tell Sebastian was mocking him, though for what he wasn't sure. He didn't dare to think he saw the scene with him in Mai's room. No doubt he'd hint to it, just to piss her off.

"Yes, let me sleep." Ciel demanded, hoping Sebastian wouldn't question him further and just go away. Sebastian looked down at Ciel with a mixture of confusion and complete shock. The aura of his soul has changed drastically. It was lighter and brighter than he's ever seen before; and he knew why. He thought about bringing it up, telling him she's bad for his reputation and how it's a bad idea in general. Though if he was being honest, he doesn't really care about any of that. His soul is as good as his, so why worry? Sebastian smirked as he silently left the room.

"Good night, Young Master."


	12. Beckon Part 1

( **Hey guys, so I just want to apologize for taking so long to post this. ^^; I know I asked for reviews in the last chapter, but no one really listened. TT_TT Pllleeaassee reveiw? With a cherry on top? With Ciel on top?**

**Mai: Not funny.. Besides, how will he help?  
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**Me: ...He just will. -3- )**

"Ciel?"

A soft breeze passed over Mai's body as she spoke the boy's name in a hushed whisper. Sunlight filtered through the bright, green canopy of trees hanging overhead. A little trail was laid out in front of her, forking off in two different directions.

The path on her right lead to a bright, open area. Water could be heard in the distance, soothing any and every worry Mai had. The path on her right was dark, and bumpy. No light shined through the desolate pathway. Only the screeching of bats and the haunting hoots of owls could be heard. There was no comfort there.

"Mai," The young angel heard Ciel call out her name, suddenly appearing in front of her in the way of the dark path. Mai stumbled back, her eyes wide in surprise.

"What are you doing here?! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" She demanded, her surprise now replaced with anger. Instead of replying with a snide remark, as Mai thought he would, he silently stared at her. Her pulse picked up slenderly as she eyed him. "What are you looking at? Is something wrong?" Mai looked over her shoulder, checking for signs of danger. There was nothing except the empty forest, and the loud rustling of leaves. A fierce wind blew over the two, the sounds of the forest being the only thing to break the silence. The silence bothered her to the point that she crossed her arms over her chest and huffed loudly.

Was there something you wanted?" She asked briskly, wanting to move things along. Though honestly, it was sort of good he was there. Then she wouldn't be distracted with the two paths. Ciel continued to seemingly look at her, his eyes hinting at amusement. _'What's so funny about this situation?'_

"Yes," He spoke softly, though he seemed to be talking more to himself. He slowly walked towards her, never looking away from her eyes. Mai felt a sudden shock in her chest, seeming to spread down her arms, and quickly stepped away. "I actually need to tell you something." His eyes brightened a shade, and his lips curled up in the smallest smile Mai has ever seen. Her breath caught in her throat and she quickly stopped her slow moving progression.

Ciel's small smile grew, further amused by her actions. "You see, I-"

"Miss Hondan?"

Mai's eyes snapped open as Sebastian opened the thick curtains covering her window, allowing sunlight to wash through the dreary room. She squinted against the bright light, her eyes watering slightly as they struggled to adjust.

"Sebastian?" She questioned quietly before she shoved her head under her pillow, hoping to get some more sleep. It's too early to be working. Every morning is too early to work.

Mai heard Sebastian sigh mutely before she felt the sheets- and pillow- being snatched away from her. She shivered in bed as the coldness of the room settled on her bare skin. Her bare skin. _'Wait..what?_' Mai groggily sat up to asses herself and stiffened. She wasn't wearing anything except her undergarment. Her face heated up and she snapped her head towards Sebastian, who looked just as surprised, but also wickedly amused. Anger seared through her body, getting rid of every trace of embarrassment.

"Get out." She growled in a low voice, her bangs shading her eyes. Her arms covered her chest. "GET OUT NOW!" Mai screamed as she jumped out of bed and grabbed Sebastian's wrist, still holding an arm her to her chest. Her eyes were now a snowy white. She dragged him out of her room and shoved him out of the open door before slamming it loudly in his face. A faint crack could be heard as the wood split down the middle of the door. Mai slid down to the floor and brought her legs to her bare chest, resting her face on her knees. Nothing could be heard from outside, so Mai took that as a good sign. '_How could I let this happen?' _She thought to herself, mortified of what had just happened. What _had_ happened?

Sebastian has seen her almost completely exposed, and he didn't even have the decency to look away. Instead he chose to stand there and mock her with his eyes. Mai has never felt so embarrassed in all her life. Not even when she had to bathe in the river on one of her missions and a stray hiker came across her. At least the water and bushes covered her up and he turned away. This was a thousand times worse. Especially since she's been seen by her _enemy. _

Mai sniffled and looked up as she contemplated what to do next. A cold breeze seemed to hit her cheeks, though the window wasn't open. It wasn't until then she realized she was crying. '_Get a grip Mai Hondan.'_ She scolded herself as she warily got up, still holding her arms over her chest. She could not let Sebastian see her cry, or even see her upset at all. That would only give him satisfaction. Instead, she should keep her head held high, and put it behind her, knowing it would annoy him. Mai smiled tenderly at the thought as she eyed the sheets on the floor, as well as her ruined uniform. Suddenly a soft knock was heard at the door. Mai grabbed a sheet off the floor and wrapped herself with it before she puffed up her chest to answer the door, figuring it was Ciel. There's no way it could be Sebastian; the knock was too soft.

Putting on a brave face, Mai opened the door, ready to face anything.

"Hi Mai," Mey-rin greeted, her cheeks looking oddly rosy. Mai breathed out a sigh of relief as she broke out in a smile. Her arms were behind her back, but Mai spotted a tip of blue fabric sticking out.

"Hey Mey-Rin," She greeted cautiously as she continued to glace at the blue fabric. "What've you got there?" Mey-Rin smiled and held out the clothing. It was another maids uniform, but worlds better.

The sleeves were puffed out, and had little yellow bows towards the cuff of the sleeves. The collar of the uniform went above her chest, so no more vintage lace. Trailing below the collar was a black, button down, top with thin straps that went over her white shirt. Last but not least, a beautiful blue skirt came with it, reaching just a little above her knees.

"Sebastian told me you needed a replacement, so he told me to lend you my old uniform." Mey-Rin said as she looked at Mai's face, wanting to see her reaction.

Mai was lost for words as she looked at the uniform. All she could muster out was a half sigh, half giggle as she took the uniform in her hands. The fabric happened to be very soft. "Thank you," She said, putting as much feelings into her words as she could. She looked over the uniform one last time, flipping it over to look at the back. Her brows furrowed as she ran her free hand down the clothing. Two large slits were in the back, though it wasn't noticeable at first glance.

"Sebastian put them there, in case you..." Mey-Rin trailed off, feeling oddly uncomfortable talking about Mai's angel side. Mai clutched the sheet closer to her, her face looking solemn as she replied,

"Oh, uh.. thank you. It means a lot. And it's a lot better than my old one." She pulled the uniform close to her chest and looked Mey-Rin in the eye. "Really, thank you." Before Mey-Rin left, she produced a long, red, silk ribbon.

"You put this around you're neck. I thought it would be a nice touch." Mey-Rin's cheeks flamed as she spoke, making Mai suspicious.

"A nice touch..?" Skepticism dripped thick in her voice, making Mey-Rin fidget with her hands.

"I just thought it would look very nice, yes." Mai hesitated for only a moment before she smiled in acceptance.

"Thank you. It's beautiful." Mey-Rin nodded in appreciation before she walked away, humming a quiet, off key tune to herself.

Mai gently closed the door and let the sheet drop on the floor. Goosebumps quickly spread over her exposed skin, making her shiver lightly. She gazed at the uniform with soft eyes before putting it on. The fabric fit against every curve of her body, while still maintaining respect. After looking herself over, she smiled to herself, pleased. She felt like she had a little more self worth. She slipped on her white socks and black shoes and looked in the mirror. A thought dawned on her, that since she had a new uniform, she probably wasn't obligated to wear the ribbons in her hair anymore. She let her wavy hair fall to her waist before remembering, '_Speaking of which..' _Mai grabbed the red ribbon off the small dresser and tied it around her neck in a loose bow before she walked out the door.

As Mai made her way down the stairs, she instantly picked up on excited chatter coming from the kitchen. _'What's everyone so excited about?_' She wondered to herself as she dipped under the stairs and walked across the hall to the kitchen. The servants were grouped together and were talking so fast, she could barely make out more than a few words.

"Can't believe it."

"So kind,"

"Exciting!"

Not wanting to break the chatter, but also wanting to be in on what they were discussing, Mai tentatively spoke up.

"Hey guys. How are you this morning?" The three servants looked away from each other towards Mai, their expressions bright.

"Mai!" Finny greeted, coming around the counter to give her a tight hug. "Have you heard the news?" He continued eagerly. When Mai shook her head, feeling more than a little dazed from the tight hug, he launched into a big story of how the 'Young Master' was taking them on a trip.

As Mai struggled to comprehend what Finny was talking about, Bard and Mey-Rin continued to talk to each other in private.

"It's supposed to be a huge health resort! Isn't that amazing!" Finny's grin was so wide, Mai wondered if it hurt his cheeks.

"Wow, that sounds interesting.." _'And suspicious if you ask me.'_

"I think this is one of the nicest things the Young Master has done for us." Mai instantly felt guilty. Ciel obviously has these guys fooled. But then again.. if it weren't for him, and sadly Sebastian, she wouldn't be here. '_I wonder,_' she thought with her guilty conscience, _'I wonder how the others got here?'_ She wondered as she realized they never told them about their pasts. They must have their reasons though.. So Ciel must have some kindness buried somewhere inside him. She let out a long sigh before replying warily,

"That sounds great. I can't wait to go." Finny nodded excitedly before going blank, gazing at Mai's uniform.

"I love you're new uniform Mai!" Mai turned away from Finny, her cheeks flushing lightly.  
>"Thanks Finny," She said sincerely, since she was in a good mood. Well, in a good enough mood for the day. Mai took a seat at the small table by the window and lay her head in her hand. <em>'Maybe the trip won't be such a bad thing..' <em>Mai mused as she watched the sun rise. _'I mean, that probably means Sebastian will be too busy to bother me. Or even talk to me, if I'm ever so lucky enough...' _Mai's thoughts trailed off on a darkly as the door to the kitchen opened. Mai turned into her seat and glared. _'Speak of the devil..' _She thought to herself sarcastically.

"I've come to tell you all that the carriage will be leaving soon, so I would suggest you leave now." Sebastian ordered, his face all seriousness. The servants quickly nodded and saluted Sebastian before he walked away. But not without glancing at Mai and smirking. Mai looked him straight in the eye, which told: I'm not afraid of you, and I won't let you take me down.

"Come on Mai, it's best we leave now." Finny grabbed Mai's hand and headed out the door, grabbing his coat on the way. Mai looked around and noticed everyone had a coat. Everyone except her.

"Oh Mai, don't you have a coat?" Mey-Rin asked, her face looking sad. Mai shook her head, but smiled anyways.

"No, but it's fine. I'm sure I'll do without one." Now it was Mey-Rin's turn to shake her head, her expression fierce.

"No, that will simply not do. We can share coat, yes." Before Mai could question her intentions, Mey-Rin draped the coat over their shoulders, which covered them both just fine.

"Oh, uh, thank you." She said as she, Mey-Rin, and Finny walked out the door. Outside waited an open hooded carriage for Ciel, and another one behind them. Tanaka was in the front seat, holding the reins of teo horses. 'Are you kidding me?' Mai thought, her expression blank. 'Then again,' Mai sighed. 'I guess it would look odd for a "master" to be in the same carriage as his servants.' Finny seemed to pick up on what Mai was thinking, because he turned his cheery expression towards her.

"It's not so bad," He said, his voice bright. "I think it actually gives us more freedom to do what we want." Mai thought about that for a moment and agreed it would probably be better to be just with just the servants than to be stuck with a grump like Ciel.

The servants quickly loaded in the back of the trailer, Bard coming in last with his cigarette in his mouth. Over the past couple months, Mai's grown used to the fact that Bard smokes. Mai looked around at her surroundings as they all waited for Ciel, who was now descending the stairs and walking towards the carriage.

Birds chirped off in the distance, the sun cast shadows against trees and plants, and the sky was a bright blue for once. The servants talked eagerly with each other as Mai thought to herself when suddenly the carriage lurched forward. '_Thank God we're leaving now.' _Who knows, it might be really nice to get away from the manner for a few days, or weeks, or however long they were going to be there. To pass the time, the servants talked about how great it would be to get away from the manner, and have more things to do.

"Maybe while the Young Master and Sebastian are busy, we can go hunting for secret rooms!" Finny exclaimed, which actually caught Mai's attention. To be honest, Mai's always wanted to go hunting for secret rooms, but never found the time. She was always busy with _something._ Whether it be avoiding Sebastian, helping Mey-Rin or Bard or Finny when they mess up, or serving Ciel. Which she hated most. Just the thought of Ciel made her flush in anger and agitation. Though the thought of Ciel did drag up her newest dream.

_'What was it he wanted to tell me..?_' She thought in wonder. '_And what could the two paths possibly mean? I guess it obviously means choice, but choice for __what?__'_ As Mai pondered these thoughts, Funny poked her in the side, making her jump from her seat.

"Mai, do you want to sing a song? We're all singing songs, and we don't want you to be left out." Mai gazed at Finny for a second, trying to pull herself together before replying,

"No, it's okay. I don't really sing." By this point, Mey-Rin and Bard were looking at her too, almost begging her to try with their eyes. Sadly, that stuff didn't usually work on her.

"Aw, I'm sure you'd be great. We all love singing whenever we get the chance to go on trips with the Young Master."

"Come on Mai! It'll be great~!" Mey-Rin encouraged.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad. If it helps, I'm terrible at it." Bard laughed at himself, also encouraging Mai to sing.

"Pleeeeaaasseee?" The three of them brought out the puppy dog eyes on her and she laughed, feeling completely cornered. She hated that more than anything.

"Okay. ONE song.." She felt herself trembling slightly as she lightly cleared her throat. Mai quickly sifted through what little songs she knew in her head before picking one she and her father wrote a while ago.

"I linger in the doorway,

Of alarm clocks screaming,

Monsters calling my name." Mai's words came out both haunting and very beautiful, capturing everyone's attention; including Ciel.

"Let me stay.

Where the wind will whisper to me.

Where the raindrops, as their falling, tell a story." Mai's heart raced furiously as she took in the expressions of the servants. They ranged from shock, to awe, and then to disbelief. Mai struggled to stay on pitch, but quickly found it impossible. Her words cut off quickly and she looked down, feeling more than embarrassed.

"Feeling distracted Young Master?" Sebastian asked, looking away from the road to gaze at his master, not bothering to hide his taunting. Ciel quickly turned around, a light blush creeping on his face. He closed his eyes, sighing in an annoyed tone.

"No. Keep you're eyes on the road." He ordered. Sebastian nodded once and turned back to the road, ignoring the yelling of the servants as they complimented her on her singing. 'You couldn't expect anything less from an angel,' He thought to himself as he turned a corner, leading into the town. The land was Barren, having very few trees, and people for that matter. The whole scene seemed to have an unnatural gray color, seeming to hold no life at all whatsoever. The sign hanging over the town was made from cheap wood, and seemed to barely hand on the hinges. Sebastian got an uncomfortable feeling of being there, knowing they were on an investigation to stop dog fights from within the town. The queen thinks it's inhumane, but Sebastian wouldn't have minded to let those things called humans continue doing what they were doing. He hated dogs.

After Mai had had enough embarrassment to last a lifetime or two, Finny looked over and jumped up, pointing to an old lady pushing a little stroller.

"Tanaka! Stop the carriage!" Finny said as he jumped out to help the old lady.

"No Finny!"

"B-Be careful!" Bard and Mey-Rin called, not wanting him to accidentally hurt the child in the stroller.

"Excuse me Ma'am, can I see your-" Suddenly Finny screamed as he looked at the child. Instead of there being a child, the bones of an animal lay in the seat. Mey-rin, Bard, and Mai looked over and screamed too. Sebastian and Ciel stopped to see what the commotion was about, though they didn't react in any way when they saw the "Child."

"This child was eaten by the demon dog. Poor thing.." The old lady commented before singing a haunting tune about the demon dog and how it will eat everyone. When she walked away, the four servants stood there with their mouths gaping like fish.

"Ea-"

"Ten"

"T-That's a child?" Bard, Finny, and Mai stuttered out before sitting back down in a daze. Finny climbed back into the carriage, and Tanaka took off when Ciel's carriage began to move again. Mai closed her eyes and commented;

"Just for the record;I think she's crazy."

****Important!: ****

**Hey everyone, as you know, I had Mai sing part of a song in this chapter. Well, I had the voice of Mai Hondans ANGEL sing the song for us. Please listen to her. And if you want to hear her in her human for, please ask :) Thank you so much!3 The song is called: Imaginary and is sung by Gothtigger92 on youtube! :) 3  
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** watch?v=nOLMe04NUH0&feature=share&list=UUWXBYkjY_PVUylH2z9HKWBg**


	13. Filler: The Past

( **Hey guys :) I am so so sorry for not updating lately! And I'm so sorry this is such a short chapter, and it really doesn't make sense at the moment. I am super sorry! Please forgive me! I love you all so much~! 3 ) **

"Dad? Do you know where the cutting knife is?" Mai shouted down the long narrow hallway.

Okay, it wasn't that long, but it was long enough where she felt the need to shout.

"Geez, do you ever shut up?" Hiro growled, roughly hitting Mai's shoulders as he passed. Mai glared at him, but kept her mouth shut, not wanting to argue with him at the moment.

"Sorry honey, I had to borrow it." Her father handed her the knife, though he wouldn't look at her.

"Dad? Are you sure your okay?" Mai asked anxiously. For the past three days her father has been having headaches and has barely slept. But he just excuses it with a cold instead of going to see someone. "Why won't you see anyone?" Her father stood in front of her for a moment, his frame seeming to shudder slightly.

"It's not a problem. It will go away soon," He forced a comforting smile on his face and lightly tussled her hair, which always made Mai giggle as a child. Mai wanted to believe in his words so badly, but something tugged inside of her, telling her something is wrong. But if her father was hiding something from her, she knew he had good reasons for it. Instead of pressing the subject further, Mai replied,

"Okay. Get well soon." She gave him a quick hug and made her way out to the front yard to gut the deer she was lucky to catch. She left her catch by a small, lush tree towards the end of her yard. As she wandered over, she saw a small puddle of blood, but no carcass. Her eyes widened and she gasped, screaming,

"HIRO!" '_That sneaky little jerk stole my kill!' _Mai thought furiously as she ran around the yard in search of her prey. _'Then again, I should have known better than to have left it out alone.' _She thought as she remembered all the times Hiro hid, stole, and even destroyed her past catches. Personal items not included. "I'm going to kill him." She huffed as she searched around for her game. '_This is the first time in months I've been able to catch a deer. He has no idea how hard it is to hunt such big game!' _Mai searched behind trees, in the trees, in the large barrel next to the small wooden porch, everywhere he could have possibly have hidden it. '_if he thinks he's going to get away with it, he'd better watch out.' _

I'M GONNA STUFF YOUR FACE WITH DIRT!" She cried before she stopped in her tracks. In front of her was a small wooden shed. The panels were worn down with age and mold, and vines were strung all around it, looking as though someone put them there on purpose. Just seeing the shed gave Mai chills.

"-My offer." Mai jumped at the sound of Hiro's voice coming from inside the shed. Anger boiled in her and she went inside without a second thought, though she was quickly paralyzed with fear. Candles surrounded Hiro at the end of the shed, all the tools being moved aside, and her deer lying in front of him. A strange symbol was painted on the wall, and Hiro seemed to be bowing towards it. "I hope this is enough. She wont mind. Much." Hiro continued, a smirk now showing on his face. Mai felt her breath catch in her throat, and Hiro glanced over his shoulder, his smirk growing even more.

Mai. Poor, innocent Mai..." He spoke with mock sympathy. "I was hoping you would find me here, though not right at this moment." He slowly progressed towards her, and Mai took a step back, eying the door with wild eyes. More than anything she wanted to run and never come back, but her body wouldn't respond to her silent pleas. "I'm afraid you've seen to much." Hiro quickly kicked her down, making her scream bloody murder as she fell to the ground. A sharp _woosh_ came out of her lungs as her air escaped. Her mouth gaped as she struggled to breathe and fight Hiro at the same time. Hiro only thought her attempt to be cute as he towered over her struggling figure.

Your coming with me." He sneered, reaching for her arm. Pain shot through him so intense he cried out, his hand searing in pain. The instant he touched her, her breath came back. While Hiro was distracted with his hand, Mai found it within herself to run to the door and practically tear it down. She ran towards the house like the devil himself is chasing her, though it might as well have been.

"DAD!" Mai yelled as she burst into the house. "DAD?! Dad where are you?!" Mai screamed as she frantically looked around. Who knew what Hiro was going to do to her? '_He's gone insane!'_ Mai yelled to herself as she ran down the hall. "Dad!"

A strange sound came from his room, and Mai burst in. Her father was leaning against the bed, half collapsed on the floor. Mai felt the color drain from her face as she ran over to her father, trying to hold him up. "Dad, what's wrong? Your condition has gotten worse!" She cried, holding onto him tightly. He looked back at her with hollow eyes, his breath coming in short pants.

"M-Mai...leave." Mai felt her eyes widen and tears beginning to fill to the brim.

"What? No I can't leave you! Hiro's gone insane, I can't leave you here with him!" She felt her throat tighten as she fought back tears, the pain becoming more intense by the second.

"LISTEN TO YOUR FATHER!" He yelled with such force it made Mai flinch. He has never yelled at her like that before. Ever. And he looked so ill, she didn't think he had that kind of energy. Mai nodded vigorously, not daring to doubt him now.

Come back in three days. Everything will be better by then. Hiro wont bother you again, and I will be healthy." He looked straight into her eyes. "Trust me."

"Please, let me help you." She said softly, not wanting to leave him leaning against his bed. He weakly shook his head.

"No. You must leave. Right now." Her father saw hesitation in Mai's eyes and said, "go!" Tears spilled over, running down her cheeks as she got up and ran away without looking back. She instinctively grabbed her bow and arrows by the doorway and continued to run; and she didn't stop.

Still by the shed, Hiro watched Mai run with a fierce expression on his face.

"I'll see you again someday Mai. Someday."


	14. Filler: Happy Halloween!

**( Hey guys! I'm probably not going to get this posted on Halloween, but I hope you still enjoy it~! And I know I've been getting mowed over by people wanting more Ciel X Mai moments.. well, I'm not going to say any more. Enjoy that chapter! ) **

"Ugh." Mai sighed as she dusted off of Ciel's priceless mantle of the Phantomhive emblem. _'Must..fight the urge...'_ She coaxed herself as she dusted, trying with all her might not to smash it to pieces. She smiled at the thought of knowing Ciel's face would be priceless!

"Speaking of his being horrified.." Mai's thoughts drifted over to her favorite time of year; Halloween. Was is just last year she was with her father, making Halloween decorations and dressing up? Was it just last year that the two of them went out with worn pillow cases to get candy? Was it just last year her father was well and alive..?

"Why the long face Mai?" Mey-Rin called, walking towards her with an arm full of cleaning supplies. '_Give it to Mey-Rin to come at all the wrong times..' _Mai thought half amused.

"Oh, um.." Waves of heat came over Mai's face in the rare occasion- though not so rare anymore- of embarrassment. '_Would Mey-Rin know of Halloween?'_ A more horrifying thought came to mind. '_Do they even celebrate it?' _"I was actually just..thinking about Halloween."

Mey-Rin's eyes lit up like stars and she got dangerously close to Mai's personal space. "I LOVE Halloween!" She yelled a bit too loudly. Instead of flinching back like she wanted to, Mai felt herself smile instead. She was more than glad to know that somebody in the household celebrated Halloween.

"We all love to decorate the manner for Halloween! Though we have to keep it in certain areas.." Mey-Rin lowered her voice and whispered into her ear, "The Young Master doesn't like Halloween. He doesn't even like the name." Mai's eyes shot open in disbelief.

"He doesn't like Halloween?" She said dubiously before coming up with the best idea she's ever thought of. "Well then... why don't we pull a little Halloween prank?" She said in a dark, playful tone. Pranking Ciel would be the best thing ever next to not having to work for him. Mey-Rin fidgeted nervously, not taking a great like to the idea.

"I don't know.. the Young Master would be very furious, yes." Disappointment hit Mai harder than expected, so she tried again.

"It wont be a bad prank. Just a simple **boo** should do." Mey-Rin seemed to think for a second before responding,

"Okay! It should be fun! I'll get Bard and Finny to help too!" Mai smiled, taking a liking to Mey-Rins spirit. On that note, the two went downstairs to dispose of their cleaning supplies and talk to the others. The storage closet was located on the left side of the stairs and Mai never went in it. She couldn't bring herself to say why, though she knew exactly why she couldn't go. Stopping near the narrow door, Mey-Rin went ahead and stuffed the cleaning supplies into the small shelves before heading off to the kitchen. They poked their head in the door, hoping to see Finny or Bard, but neither were there. A confused expression crossed their faces before they went off to look for the rest of the missing trio.

Thankfully Mai didn't have to worry about crossing Sebastian's path; he and Ciel were in a meeting for the afternoon, so she was safe. Well, as safe as she could be around there. A few minutes of searching has gone by, but the two still saw no sign of Finny or Bard.

"Where could they be?" Mey-Rin murmured as she quickly checked the ball room.

"Finny are you sure this is a good idea?" Bards voice floated down the hall, catching Mey-Rin's and Mai's attention. It seemed to have come from the music room. The two quickly walked down the hall and swung the door open.

Their jaws fell open and a scream of horror escaped their mouths before they covered each others mouths with their hands. Gardening tools were hanging from thin wires on the ceiling, ranging from the hedge clippers to the sharp metal rake.

"What are you doing?!" Mai asked after removing Mey-Rins hand from her mouth. Finny and Bard were in the middle of setting up a netting trap in the center of the room around all the tools. The room was now literally a death trap. Finny smiled sheepishly, and Bard rolled his eyes and said,  
>"Finny and I wanted to set up a room to make it look scary for Halloween. But I think the netting is a bit much.." He trailed off as he tried to make it blend in with the flooring. Mai felt her eye twitch slightly. <em>'The <em>_netting__ is too much?!' _She thought in complete shock.

"Isn't this all very dangerous?" Mey-Rin asked as she slowly backed away from the door. Being who she is, a room with her and sharp tools is probably the worst combination anyone could think of.

"Don't worry, it isn't dangerous. Finny and I made sure we hung up everything good and tight." He winked and gave them a thumbs up, which was very un-reassuring.

Meanwhile, Ciel, Sebastian, and Tanaka were talking to a representative of a national toy company, who wanted to spread Phuntom out to different countries. Just as they were about to seal the deal, the screams of the maids was heard from down below. Everyone froze, wondering what was going on before Sebastian interjected,

"I'm sorry for the disturbance. Those are just the maids. They get frightened so easily, especially on Halloween." He smiled innocently while silently planning on how to kill them. Ciel wanted to get angry, but he couldn't when he was so close to making an important deal.

"I apologize for their behavior." Ciel said smoothly, hoping just to blow it off as nothing. The man nodded and smiled,

"Yes, well, maids can be a handful." He laughed before Ciel signed the contract of agreement.

"Yes they are.." Ciel agreed quietly, thinking of his own revenge he could do later on.

Once Finny and Bard finally finished getting the net up, the four of them left the room, making sure to close the door behind him.

"So what's the whole point of this?" Mai couldn't stop herself from asking. She was much too curious as to why they were planning a murder of sorts. Bard got a determined expression on his face and said,

"Every year we try to scare Sebastian, but he scares us instead. That man is never scared of anything!" He raised his fist in the air and got an evil glint in his eye. "But this year it's out turn to scare him!"

"It probably wont work out, and Sebastian usually get's very angry at us for trying, but we can't help but try anyways." Finny said, putting a hand behind his head. Mai felt herself crack a smile. True, Sebastian would probably murder them, but she had to admire their spirit. Suddenly something crossed her mind and she hesitated before asking,

"Well, why don't we show him the true spirit of Halloween? For both him, and Ciel?" Finny, Bard, and Mey-Rin looked at Mai frightened, but also in curiosity. What was she planning?

"What's the plan?" Bard asked, crossing his arms in interest. Mai felt her smile grow wider, liking that they were taking her seriously.

"As you and Finny have said, you two try to scare Sebastian every year, right?"

"Mey-Rin too." Finny interjected before letting Mai continue.

"Of course, and Mey-Rin too." She glanced back at her, smiling kindly, before continuing. "Why don't you three come up with an idea to scare Sebastian, and I'll scare Ciel?" The three hesitated about scaring Ciel before nodding in agreement. They then huddled together and discussed their plan.

"It's quiet around here." Ciel noted after the representative left. Sebastian nodded in mute agreement, also suspicious of the silence. He knew Finny, Bard, and Mey-Rin try every year to unsuccessfully scare him, but Mai is being quiet too. Sebastian heaved a silent sigh, wondering what kind of plan they would come up with this year. Of course, he didn't make his thoughts known to Ciel. He knew the Young Master hated Halloween, so he tried to avoid the subject when he could. He looked over at his Young Master, who seemed to have a faraway look about him.

Ciel thought various ways he could get revenge on Mey-Rin and Mai, though he thought more about getting revenge on Mai. He knew Mey-Rin was the type that messed up often, so he didn't think of her as much. He thought about sending Sebastian out to scare her, but found it to be a waste. For once, this is something he'd like to do himself.

In the end, he decided to lie low about it, and get her when she least expects it. She'd never expect him to do anything of the sort to her, or anyone for that matter. A devious smile appeared behind his folded hands.

_'This might do just the trick..' _

After coming to an agreement on their plan, and figuring out what areas of the house they were going to be in, the four broke up and went off to get their costumes on. Of course, they would have to try to keep away from the Young Master. Halloween was usually celebrated among the servants anyways. While Finny and Bard both went to get ready, Mey-Rin took Mai in tow to dress her in one of her costumes.

"Mey-Rin you really don't have to-" Mai protested on their way up the stairs.

"Of course I don't have to, but I want to! Besides, you said you love Halloween." Mey-Rin said, cutting Mai off. Without getting a chance to make another protest, Mey-Rin had Mai in her room and she was rummaging through what little clothes she had in her closet. After a minute, Mai hoped that Mey-Rin wouldn't have anything for her. Not that she didn't want to wear a costume, but she felt uncomfortable wearing more of her clothes.

_ 'The maid outfit she gave me is enough really... '_ Mai thought, picking at the hem of the fabric. Then, just as she hoped, Mey-Rin heaved out a sigh.

"I'm sorry Mai, I don't seem to have anything." Before Mai got the chance to fake her disappointment, Mey-Rin whipped out a headband with black, fuzzy cat ears on top. "Except for this!" She said excitedly. "This would go perfectly with what your wearing!" _'You would know since it's your outfit.' _She thought sarcastic before taking the cat ears. If she had to wear something, this was probably the lesser of the 'evil.' Besides, she really did want to dress up for Halloween one way or another.

"Thank you. This actually means a lot to me." She said sincerely as she stuck the ears on her head. Mey-Rin stared at her for a moment before giving her a giant hug. "Gah!" Mai yelped as she almost felt the life being squished out of her.

"I'm sorry, but you look so cutee~!" Mey-Rin exclaimed before letting her go. Mai took a deep breath and took a step back.

"Thanks." She breathed before walking out the door. "Come on, let's see what Finny and Bard came up with."

"Wait, I still need to put on my costume! I'll meet you down there." Mai nodded and closed the door behind her before making her way downstairs. She glanced out the window and saw it was already dark. To be honest, it was a pretty uneventful day, _'But not for long..' _She thought before she walked into just the person she was planning to scare.

Ciel walked down the darkened hallway, and spotted Mai coming down the stairs. He composed his face to looking bored, though the cat ears immediately caught his attention.

"Is there any certain reason why your wearing cat ears?" Ciel asked smoothly, making Mai jump slightly.

"Don't scare me like that!" She breathed, though she meant to snap at him. She knew she was being a hypocrite, but she was trying to feign innocence until the deed was done. Ciel nodded to the ears again,

"The ears?"

"Oh these?" She teased lightly, rubbing her fingers against the soft fuzzy fabric. "Nothing. Just thought they'd keep me entertained while I worked. They did just the trick." She said with a smile before passing him to find the others. She wasn't even sure if they were ready yet. Mai decided to make her way towards the music room, since that's were Finny was supposed to be hiding out while Bard somehow lures Sebastian there- which would honestly have to be a miracle for it to work. Though after walking a ways, Mai heard footsteps behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Ciel walking behind her. Mai raised an eyebrow and asked,

"Need me for something?" She asked skeptically, wondering what he was up to, but quickly brushed it off. '_He hates Halloween.' _

"No. I'm merely just walking in the same direction as you." Ciel said as he walked past her. Mai looked after him feeling a little annoyed but quickly walked after him. Maybe she could somehow prank him twice in one night. Mai smirked at the thought but quickly composed herself as she now walked next to Ciel.

As they walked, Mai thought of ways to prank again, maybe sticking her foot out? As much as she wanted to prank him twice, she was too focused on her first prank to really focus on anything. A minute of silence has passed, Ciel thinking of his own trick himself. A few more seconds passed and Ciel couldn't wait anymore. He slowed down his pace, making Mai look over her shoulder questioningly. Despite herself, she felt herself slow down as well before stopping.

"Is something wrong?" Ciel looked straight past her towards the music room, which was actually a few door down.

"I see dead people." Ciel whispered, sending chills up Mai's spine. Nobody knew this, but she really wasn't too fond ghosts. Of course she could be around them, but with her experience, she'd prefer to keep away.

"Yeah right." Mai rolled her eyes at his exclamation. "Your joking right?" Ciel stared blankly at her, though he felt his heart beat quicken from the anticipation.

"Have I ever told a joke before?" He asked seriously, looking her straight in the eye. Which made his heart beat spike even more.

Mai thought back all the months she's worked here. She's worked here for 9 months now, and she's never recalled Ciel telling a joke. Ever. Mai couldn't stop herself from stiffening from fright.

"Oh yeah? Show me where they are." She refused to let Ciel notice that she was indeed frightened. He could never know that.

"Suit yourself." Ciel nodded once before leading her further down the hall to the music room. Mai's eyes widened as she eyed the door. _'Is Ciel in on this, and everyone is trying to scare me? Or is this just purely coincidence? _Mai thought suspiciously as Ciel opened the door. The door creaked open, only adding to her silent fear. There was enough lighting to see the tools still hanging from the ceiling, but no sign of Finny. Ciel's eyes widened as he yelled,

"WHAT IS-" Mai clamped her hand over his mouth to shut him up. If Sebastian heard him yelling, he would surly come running. Mai couldn't let that happen, mainly because that was Bard's job. Ciel immediately took her hand off his mouth before hissing, "Don't touch me so easily!" Mai crossed her arms, now forgetting about the 'ghosts.' _'Where have I heard this before..?' _She wondered sarcastically before saying,

"What? Didn't your ghost friends tell you they were decorating?" Ciel turned around and glared at her. He refused to lose to her now; he never lost.

"Yes, they did. But I had to pretend to be scared." Mai didn't hesitate to tap her fingers on her arm, giving the, _are you kidding me,_ look. But decided to play along. Obviously he didn't know how to scare people without using Sebastian. '_Guess I'll have to show the kid what true scaring is all about.' _She was still planning to hide in his office later on. She knew he stopped working in an hour, but he usually roamed the hallway before Sebastian sent him back.

Seeing that Mai was far from believing him, or even being scared for that matter, he had to resort to pushing his plan further. He closed the door behind him, letting what little moonlight there was to offer from the waning crescent and said,

"Their behind that door." He pointed to the small wooden door at the end of the room and began walking towards it.

Mai sighed and followed him before something came up.

"Wait.." She spoke to herself, now remembering something important. Before she could step back, or even give Ciel a warning- this was, after all, for Sebastian. Not Ciel.- the two were strung up in the net and were now dangling in the air. What made it worse was, the netting was small, and Mai was straddling Ciel! Her hands were on his shoulder to help keep her up, and the two blushed crimson in the dark.

"Did the ghosts just so happen to plan this too?!" She said as she struggled to sit up right, though no matter how she moved, she was still stuck in that horrifying position.

"Ugh, get off me!" Ciel said quietly, not wanting anyone to find them like this. He would never live it down.

"Oh like I'm not trying!" She snapped back before taking a deep breath. "Okay, I think I can get us out of this. It's just a few simple knots." She said as she leaned over Ciel to begin untying the thick knot above his head. She would have preferred to untie any of the other ones, but this one was far away from the others, so she wouldn't have to spend as much time untying knots when she can untie just this one.

Ciel tried his best to lean back, but the netting was too thick to stretch. His face flamed by now, and he felt a strange spark of desire. He tried to look away, but there was nowhere to look, so he settled for closing his eyes, though he found himself almost not wanting to.

"Come on Bard! How did you make these knots so tight?!" Mai spoke to herself in frustration. The knots were way too tight for any normal person to do. Yes, Mai has made her fair share of netting's, but even she couldn't do this. She dug her nails into any crevices she could find and tried moving it around to loosen it up. After what seemed like an eternity, she managed to loosen up a part of the knot enough to release a section of the rope.

Mai smiled victoriously and slowly began unwinding the knot, having to use her nail here and there. All the while, she tried her hardest not to think that she was sitting on Ciel's waist.. that he was so close to her. '_stop it!_' She scolded herself for thinking such thoughts and got back to business. As soon as the knot was weakened enough, the weight in the net dropped to one side, making Ciel and Mai tumble out.

Ciel was now on top of Mai, and once again they blushed deeply. Their faces were just inches apart, the moonlight shining on both of their faces, and making their eyes shine. Before they realized what they were doing, Ciel and Mai leaned in and softly kissed each other for one blissful second, when all of a sudden,

'BAM!' Bard kicked the door open, making Ciel and Mai jump off of each other and scream, which in turn made Bard- and the now appearing Mey-Rin- jump.

"What are you guys doing in here?!" Bard asked as he stepped into the room. Mai knew this looked bad, but she tried to explain it the best she could, but even she really had no idea what happened.

"What about you!? Isn't Sebastian supposed to be with you?" Mai asked in return, though she thanked her lucky stars he wasn't with them. Bard closed his eyes in defeat and said,

"Bah.. we couldn't find him. We searched the whole manner, and there's not a sign of him." Mai then noticed bards apron had blood on it, Mey-Rin was a female outlaw, and Finny was dressed as an adorable bird.

Ciel got up and brushed himself off and said,

"What is the meaning of all this!?" Sadly for Ciel, he spoke to soon, for a silhouette holding a knife crept up from the hallway and stretched across the door. Red eyes appeared in the dark, and a sinister grin followed after. Everyone screamed and jumped together, though Ciel- and even Mai- were uncomfortable being squished together by everyone, but too frightened to care.

"Who wants cake?" Sebastian asked, appearing out of the dark, smiling innocently.

Ciel growled lowly before saying,

"SEBASTIAN! What is the meaning of this? What is the meaning of all of this?!" Everyone quickly broke away and gave him some space.

"W-We were just..." Finny began, but Mai knew he- as well as the others, not including Sebastian- would get in trouble, so she said,

"We were just celebrating Halloween. We know you don't like that holiday, so we kept it a secret from you, so you wouldn't get angry. We're all really sorry." Everyone in the room stared at Mai in stunned silence. Never has she apologized to the Young Master and truly meant it. A soft pink came to his cheeks and he closed his eyes for a moment, seeming to take a deep breath.

"It's fine. Just make sure you get the messed cleaned up." He looked around at everyone in the room as he spoke this before he walked out of the room.

Complete silence filled the room from utter shock. The Young Master would have never let them get away with this unpunished. On that note, Sebastian too left the room, and the others worked on cleaning the music room.

"Thank you so much Mai." Finny said, giving Mai a soft hug. Mai hugged him back and said, "Anything for you guys."

"Yeah, thanks Mai." Bard said, patting Mai's shoulder.

"You saved us so much trouble." Mey-Rin said, also moving in to hug Mai.

"Don't mention it." She said, and the group began to clean up.

"By the way Mai, what did happen in here?" Bard asked as he examined the net.

"Oh, nothing really. I just got caught up in the net.." But the blushing creeping up on her told another story.

After the room was as good as new, everyone retired for bed. Mai headed upstairs after lingering downstairs for a moment, recapturing everything that happened that evening. _'Ciel is so horrible at scaring people.' _She thought, softly laughing to herself.

"I didn't expect you to apologize. Especially on partly my behalf." Sebastian spoke from behind, making Mai jump for the what feels like the third time that night She turned around and narrowed her eyes at him.

"I didn't do anything on your behalf. It was for the others; don't forget that." Sebastian nodded and smiled mischievously.

"Of course, I'll remember to keep that in mind." Mai studied Sebastian carefully and quickly stepped back. _'He knows something.' _She thought in horror. "And you may want to remember where the traps are hidden next time your with the Young Master" He said as he quietly slipped past her. Mai felt the color drain from her face as she tried to gather up some dignity and walk to her room. _'He knows.' _She repeated to herself over and over in her mind until someone called out,

"Mai." Mai looked down the hall and saw Ciel standing by his doorway, one hand on the knob. "Happy Halloween." He said before going into his room. Knowing she was all alone, Mai smiled. His words warmed her from the coldness she just felt. Mai then slipped into her room and quietly closed the door behind her.


	15. Beckon Part 2

**(_ Please read this!_ _Hey everyone~! Long time no see._ :) _I really hope you like this chapter, I put a lot of thought into it. The beginning is boring, so please bare with me. :3 Oh! And for a fun filler chapter, we will be hosting a Q & A for the authors and the cast of the story! Please send ANY questions you have for them, and we will try our best to answer them. I should mention the two authors are me, and 18tails * creator of Mai Hondon * Thank you so much~! I love you all so so much! ) _**

The servants sat silent for the rest of the way, all to frightened to speak.

'_What is wrong with that woman?! Should she really be walking around here with..with a... skull of an animal?!' _Mai thought over and over as they entered the 'health resort.'

"We arrived at the resort." Ciel announced as they entered a small, run down area, with little life surrounding it. The 'resort' was old, and appeared to be falling apart. The houses around it weren't any better. They were very small and looked like a simple gust of wind could blow it down.

"Young Master..." The servants said in dismay, they're heads hung low in disappointment. When Ciel said they were going to a health resort, they imagined something extravagant and amazing. '_I think they had their hopes a little too high..'_ Mai thought in pity, _'But who could blame them? Ciel made it sound like it was a nice place.. leave it to him to deceive others..' _ Her thoughts turned grim on that last note as they parked near the front of the run-down manner. They were greeted by the owner of the manner and his maid. The maid looked reserved but bright as she greeted Ciel and Sebastian.

"Wow..she's beautiful." Finny said, his eyes sparkling at the site of the manners maid.

"Um, Finny-" Mai stopped herself before she said something she would regret. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Finny's feelings. '_I don't think you should be with her. It's not a good idea.' _She thought to herself, feeling a bit uneasy. But what did she know about the maid? For all she knew, she could be a sweet woman. _'Woman...' _She mulled over the word in her head. _'How old is Finny?'_ She glanced at him and saw Bard and Mey-Rin teasing him lightly. Mai cracked a smile, though it didn't last long as realization finally set in. Isn't Finny still a teenager?

The maid led Ciel and Sebastian into the manner while the others unloaded the luggage from the carriage, though Bard and Mey-Rin carried most of it, much to Mai's luck.

"Come on Finny, stop staring into space and help out! You too Mai!" Mai's expression flattened and she stuck her tongue out at Bard's back before she went to the carriage and grabbed a small bag from under the wooden seat. When she turned around, Finny was still staring off, a bright blush settling on his face. Mai sighed and grabbed hold the back of Finny's jacket.

"Okay Finny, we're going inside now." She said in a gentle, slightly amused voice as she tugged at him. "Ugh." She turned back and saw not only has he not moved an inch, but he was still day dreaming! "Really now.." Mai tried and tried again to get Finny to move even a little bit, but he just wouldn't budge. "You're really strong you know that?" She said feeling irked. She might as well have been talking to herself for all the good it did.

Mai looked around quickly to be sure no one was around. When she was sure she was alone, she quickly borrowed her angel powers, effectively turning her eyes white but keeping her wings from coming out. "Let's make this quick." She spoke to herself, her melodious voice drifting around her. She tried one last time to move the star struck Finny, only to have him fall on his butt. Mai shrugged and easily dragged him in.

"So pretty..." Finny sighed as the doors closed behind him. The manner appeared very old fashioned, seeming to be made entirely out of stone. It was very roomy, though not as roomy as the manner back home. _'home..'_ Mai shook the thoughts from her mind and looked around, wondering where to take the luggage. And Finny.

"I can take that for you if you'd like." Mai jumped and over at the manners maid. '_She's as quiet as a mouse too..'_

"Oh no, I couldn't ask that of you." Mai responded kindly, waving away her offer.

"Angela!" Finny was on his feet in a second, a warm smile spreading across his face. _'So that's her name..'_ Angela smiled sweetly and said,

"If you are looking for the others, they're in the back kitchen. Please follow me." Finny followed her without question, eager to get the chance to be close to her. Mai stared between the luggage and Finny and Angela, wondering if she should put the luggage away first or follow after. '_Heck, I don't even know where to put this!'_ She ran after the two, deciding to ask May-Rin where to put it. It was her bag anyways.

"It's a nice place you've got here." Bard said as Angela sat down on the bench across from him. Finny sat down next to her, while Mai sat next to Mey-Rin, placing her bag beside her.

"Why thank you. This place does give off a natural beauty of it's own." Mai internally sighed and glanced at Finny, who was sitting unusually straight. '_Oh Finny...' _Mai thought sadly to herself. _'Maybe I can give him a..pep-talk..?' _The word sounded strange to her, since she's never been one to give anyone advice before. Usually she was the one to go to others for advice. Though the only person she went for advice for was her father..

Still thinking of him made her heartache so much, she didn't know how she could bare it. _'Maybe my newly found self is making it easier to handle.' _She allowed the thought to sooth her a bit.

"**BAM!**" Everyone jumped at the sound and looked at the window.

"W-What was that?" Mey-Rin asked in a shaky voice.

"Oh, that must have been a bird." Angela replied calmly, a smiled plastered to her face.

"Huh.. must be pretty clean windows." Mai spoke up, intending her comment to be a compliment.

"I wouldn't say that. I'm completely unsatisfactory." She said solemnly.

"Mhmm.." She mumbled into her hands. _'_

_ 'What's her game?'_

Dawn quickly fell to dusk, and everyone was turning in for the night. _'I have to admit, this was one of the more uneventful days.._' It wasn't a surprise to think that anymore. There has definitely been stranger days.

Bard, Finny, Mey-Rin and Mai headed to the same room, which really wasn't all too shocking. Apparently there wasn't enough room to separate them. '_Yeah..right.'_ Mai thought sarcastically as she slipped into Mey-Rin's borrowed pajamas. _'What I wouldn't give to have my own clothes..'_ She then climbed into the bed next to Mey-Rins, while Bard went to the one across from her. Finny only needed to change his clothes before he went off and about again.

"Goodnight guys." Mai said tiredly as her eyes fluttered closed.

"Goodnight Mai." The two responded in unison, making her smile before she quickly drifted to sleep.

"Mai bunny." Mai peered up at a brown haired man with sparkling blue eyes. His smile warmed her heart and made her happier than the happiest girl in the world. Her eyes grew big in excitement, shimmering softly from the light of the sun.

"Daddy! Your back!" She ran to her father, leaping into his loving arms. He caught Mai in a big embrace and spun her around, happy to see his daughter again.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner honey." He leaned his forehead against hers and she giggled softly. "Happy 6th birthday."

"Father!" Hiro ran out from the house towards Mai and his father, a smile brightly lit on his face.

"Son!" Shifting Mai into his other arm, he gave Hiro a one armed hug. "I've missed you while I was away." He stood back and looked him up and down. "Ah, your growing so fast! Good looking too. Where on earth did you get your dashingly looks from?" He joked lovingly with his only son.

"Huh, who knows? Maybe I'm just lucky." He joked back, laughing at their banter.

"You must be." He set Mai down and she ran over to Hiro, grasping his hand in hers. "So, did you take good care of Mai while I was away?" Hiro looked down at Mai kindly and said,

"Yeah. We had a great time. She's so full of life and love. I love her so much." A low growl suddenly emanated from the edge of the forest. Mai turned towards the shadows and cowered in fright.

"Daddy!" She cried, trying to grasp her fathers shirt. She looked over and saw he was gone. "Hiro!" She screamed, frantically looking beside her, but he was gone too. Two red, vicious, blood filled eyes stared intently at her. The shadows growled again, and the creature drew closer. "S-Somebody...anybody.." The red eyed creature swiftly transformed in the shadows, growing taller and slimmer. A wicked, sharp toothed smiled appeared. A soft, horrid laughter floated around her and the creature stepped out of the shadows.

"You belong to me. I won't let you escape again." Mai's eyes widened and she stumbled back in fright. The creature ran at her and a blood curling scream resounded throughout the woods.

"HELP ME!"

"Mai!" Mai bolted upright, breathing heavily. Her hair was plastered to her face, her body drenched in sweat. Her heart beat wildly against her ribs as she looked around. She was back in the guest room, the moon still low in the sky. _'How long had I been asleep for?'_ "Are you okay Mai?" Mey-Rin placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm Mai's breathing.

"Mey-Rin?" She glanced at her, just to be sure she was really back. "Um, yeah. I'm sorry if I disturbed you or anything.."

"Oh not at all!" She exclaimed, blushing lightly. "I was actually going to go out and do something. Want to join me?" Somehow asking that made Mai feel like she was asking her to join some club. But after her dream, she was up for anything.

"Yes, thank you." She got up and groaned. Her pajamas were soaked!

"Oh, don't worry Mai! Luckily I have an extra pair." Mey-Rin quickly rummaged through her small suitcase, being careful not to wake Bard and Finny up. "Here you go. You can change in here, since no one is awake." Mai nodded in gratitude as she quickly slipped out of her soaked PJ's and put new, dry ones on. She didn't care that she was changing in front of Mey-Rin; as long as she was a girl, she was good.

Tossing the wet pajamas on her bed to try, the girls sneaked out of the room, getting into whatever mischief Mey-Rin had in store.

"So, what exactly are we doing?" Mai asked cautiously as they silently moved through the shadowy halls. Mey-Rin moved her fallen glasses up her nose, her face all seriousness as she replied,

"We're just looking around, seeing what kind of stuff happens around here. Makes good stuff to talk about." Mai glanced at her with a blank expression, but was too tired to really care. Anything to get rid of that horrid dream. They stopped in front of a few doors and peered in, only to find them empty. At last Mey-Rin found something.

"Oh Angela, that queen wants to take away my land. You can't let her do that. Please forgive me for today, please forgive me." It was the head of the house and Angela! She was sitting in a chair while he was groveling at her feet, her expression sinister.

"W-W-WHAT?!" Mey-Rin jumped back, blood spurting on the floor.

"Mey-Rin?" Mai held her up while she reached for a handkerchief to stop the bleeding.

"I don't believe this!" Mey-Rin cried in a hushed whisper. Mai peered into the doorway and her face contorted in disgust. _'I knew something was off about her! Poor Finny...'_ Suddenly her heart ached for him. The poor boy was struck by love, only to have her belong to the someone of the likes of _him_.

"Come on, let's go back to the room."

'**Knock, knock, knock.' **"Enter." Angela entered the room, her head bowed respectfully.

"Ah, Angela. My master is about to retire for the night." Sebastian greeted cheerfully but sternly as he put away Ciel's clothing. Ciel sat in a large, green chair in front of a large fireplace – unlit – with a book in his hand and a bored expression on his face.

"I am sorry. But I have come here to ask you something." She clasped her hands in front of her and she bowed in regret. "Please, please leave here."

"Why?" Ciel asked, never looking away from his book.

"This place is cursed. It's not good to be here. The demon dog will get us." She looked up and screamed. A large shadow of a dog appeared on the curtain of the window. Ciel jumped out of his seat and ordered,

"Sebastian." Sebastian dashed towards the curtain and yanked them open. Nothing was there except the darkness of the night.

"There's nothing there, my lord." A loud howl ripped through the night, making Angela back out of the room in fright. Suddenly a scream of agony raced through the halls. Ciel whipped towards the door.

"Mai." He ran past Angela and looked into the darkened hall. No one was there.

Mai cringed into Mey-Rin's body as she held her in the shadows. "Mai are you okay?!" She asked anxiously, watching Mai struggle to gain composure. Waves of pain wracked her body in merciless torment.

"We have to bring you to the Young Master!" She exclaimed, quickly picking up Mai's shaking figure.

"N-No!" She forced the words out of her mouth. "I-I-I'm Ju-ust..." She drew a quick ragged breath, "Scared." Mey-Rin stared down at Mai as though she were a small, fragile doll.

"Mai.." Tears welled up in her eyes, knowing she wasn't telling the truth.

"Please." She whispered. Mey-Rin stared for a second longer before she took off her glasses and silently dashed back to the room, being sure to stay in the shadows. Mey-Rin didn't know why Mai wouldn't allow her to get help, but she knew she must have her reasons. It took everything she had not to turn around and just hand her to the Young Master so he could make her better.

Mey-Rin swiftly set Mai on her bed, making sure to wrap her up in blankets.

"Mai!" Finny cried, running to her bed. "What's wrong?"

"Hey are you okay?" Bard asked, feeling just as worried. Mey-Rin turned towards them, her face expressionless.

"She's fine. She was just frightened." Finny and Bard gaped at Mey-Rin.

"Mey-Rin did you lose your glasses?" Finny pointed out after knowing Mai was okay. Mey-Rin stared at him blankly before reaching into her pocket and grabbing her thick glasses.

"Oh! Silly me! Can't go without my glasses." She smiled before glancing down at Mai, who seemed to have calmed down. "Your okay now Mai. Get some rest." She said softly, gently brushing her bangs away from her face.

"Get well Mai." Finny said, taking her hand in his.

"Yeah, get better kid." Bard said, lightly patting her shoulder. "We should go see what that noise was about though." He said, heading for the door.

"Wait! Shouldn't someone stay with Mai?" Finny asked, worry in his eyes.

"It's okay guys. I was just really scared. Took a lot out of me. Go ahead and find out what it was; I'll be okay." Everyone stared at her for a moment but all agreed one by one to go, leaving Mai in the room alone.

Mai couldn't remember when she had fallen asleep, or if she was even asleep at all. Darkness surrounded her and all she was conscious of was her breathing. Moon lightly suddenly filled her vision and she knew she was awake, that she had fallen asleep. She looked around and saw everyone was back. She also noticed she was tucked in like a little hotdog. _'Like my father used to.._' Mai let the thought linger as she sat up. She stared out the small window in the middle of the room, allowing the beautiful night to occupy her mind. _'Such a beautiful night.. the moon makes everything looks so surreal.' _A soft howl sounded in the desolate night. It was much quieter than before, but it was enough to cause her pain. Mai covered her ears with her hands and curled up into a tight ball. '_Ugh..! It's that darned howling again!'_ She thought, the frequency of the creatures howling bringing her severe pain. A strange sense of loss came over her. It seemed to take a physical form, wrapping frozen tendrils inside of her body, taking over her.

'_N-No..._' The creature howled again, more loudly than before. Mai shut her eyes tightly, begging, praying that the pain would go away. '_Please!' _Suddenly a sharp ringing in her ears crashed over her like a wave; horrifying and inescapable. Mai sighed in relief as the awaiting blanket of darkness covered her.

Ciel rolled over in his bed, trying futility to fall asleep after tonight's events. What on earth would make Mai scream like that? He knew it wasn't from fright, as the others have claimed. _'they're covering for her..but why?' _Ciel groaned lightly and sat up. His room was too hot and stuffy for his liking. After another few minutes of tossing and turning, Ciel sat up, rubbing his tired eyes. How is he expected to work on a case when he can't even get a proper night's sleep?! He glanced over at the large window next to his bed. Blue light filtered through the glass, making his room appear almost unreal in beauty. Ciel inched towards the window and opened it a crack. As he had hoped, cool night air washed over him, making him sigh in relief. As he stared outside, he caught a shadow moving along the trees in the distance, away from the light of the moon. He squinted at the figure, deciphering if it was real or just his imagination. He could faintly make out a body, and thought it appeared feminine. He flinched as the figure suddenly sprinted from the shadows, going under a large canopy of trees.

Ciel tried to catch his breath as he tried to register what he just saw. '_Did I see wings? White wings?' _He was certain he wasn't going crazy, but that changed in a heartbeat as he found himself climbing out the window. He couldn't explain to himself why he felt compelled to follow the shadow by himself; surely he should bring Sebastian for safety. As his soft feet ran across the cool, mildewed grass, Ciel found himself thinking only one thing.

'_I have to find her.' _

As Mai stalked the night in her trance like state, she seemed to change forms, turning her hair a soft gold, her eyes striking white, and her wings full and beautiful. They seemed to glow against the darkness of the night.

'_Ugh..my head. What's going on?'_ Mai thought, as she heard shallow breathing, only to find out it was her own. Her blurry eyes slowly focused onto a a pair of red eyes hiding in the shadows in front of her. Mai stared in wide-eyed terror, feeling as though someone nailed her feet to the ground and she couldn't move. She couldn't even bring herself to scream. It felt as though the howling wind has stolen her voice and silenced it.

The red eyed creature slowly moved out of the shadows and into the moon light, revealing his true form. Mai found herself face to face with a large white dog. It appeared to have wolfish features, but she couldn't bring herself to decide between the two. The creature was easily ten times bigger than her, and looked very powerful in strength.

Instead of fighting or even running away, Mai took a step towards the creature, her hand outstretched.

"Come here. It's okay.." She beckoned softly, her voice drifting through the night like a soft, enchanting melody. Nobody could resist the soft lulling of an angel. The creature bowed it's head and softly padded towards her. Mai stretched her hand further and lightly touched the creatures soft muzzle, connecting her spirit to it for a brief moment.

'_Thank you.' _A soft voice responded from within her, though it wasn't her own. Mai gasped and stepped back, finally in control of her body again. "W-What was that? You.. didn't really just talk to me did you?" She looked up at the dog expectant. The dog cocked his head to the side, which was enough for her to understand. "I don't understand. What's going on..?" Mai asked herself, becoming more worried by the second. Obviously this dog brought her out here against her will, only to come into contact with him and have him thank her. The dog sat on the ground, his gaze never leaving Mai as she paced the ground. Just as the dog sat down, he was instantly back on his feet growling fiercely. His eyes were locked on something behind Mai. Mai was too distracted to realize someone coming from behind. She jumped when the dog growled and whipped around to face the stranger, her whip materializing in her hand. She moved her foot back and moved her hand over her shoulder, ready attack.

Who's there?" She demanded harshly, feeling oddly protective. A moment of silence passed before a rustling in the bushes gave away the person's hiding place. "Okay, whoever you are, come out. I know you're there." Another moment of silence passed over the area before two small feet stepped out of the bushes. Mai stared in shock and lowered her whip. Her heart beat wildly against her chest and she felt like the air was knocked out of her.

"Ciel?"


	16. Merry Christmas

**( Hey guys! Merry Christmas~! Have a blessed and wonderful day! ) **

"Merry Christmas!" Mai snapped her eyes open and flinched into her covers as the servants towered over her with big grins on their faces. At first Mai just stared at them, not sure what to do, before she smiled and jumped up. It was Christmas Eve, one of her favorite times of the year. The night before Christmas.. it's always so amazing.

"Merry Christmas to you guys as well." She greeted cheerfully. Finny, Bard, and Mey-Rin quickly filed out of the room, Finny and Mey-Rin singing Christmas songs on the way, so Mai could change out of her borrowed pajamas. Slipping on her maid uniform, she headed out with a determined smile on her face. No one was going to ruin this day for her, not even Ciel or Sebastian.

"Oh the weather outside is frightful, and the fire is so delightful. And since we've no place to go. Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!" She sung quietly as she headed out to do her daily chores. She glanced out the main window by the stairs and saw snow gently falling from the sky, seeming to dance in the breeze. "It doesn't show signs of stopping and I've bought some corn for popping. Turn the lights down low. Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!"

"That's lovely singing you've got there." Mai jumped a foot in the air and turned around to face Sebastian. Ugh. Just what she needed. But no matter what came at her, she was still determined to stay happy.

"Why thank you." She said in an overly polite voice as she headed down the rest of the way. Everyone- excluding Sebastian- seemed to be in a great mood today. Who couldn't be? * Sebastian * Mai grabbed a rag and quickly got to work on polishing the wood and metal in the manner. The sooner she was done with her chores, the more time she had to play outside in the wonderful snow.

"It's Christmas! It's Christmas!" Finny chanted as he headed out. Yeah, it was winter, but there was still a green house in the back of the manner that he had to take care of. Thankfully there are only a few plants, so Ciel wasn't really worried about him messing up. Mey-Rin began to dust and Bard tried his best to cook something festive, which probably meant something inedible with red and green in it.

As Mai polished the wood at the base of the stairs, Ciel came down the stairs and scuffed his shoe on the wood, leaving a black streak.

"Oops, my bad." He taunted as he walked away. Mai glared at his back and she couldn't stop herself from thinking, _'Can't he be nice when the holidays come around? Or at least cut me a break?!' _She sighed lightly and tried to get rid of her anger by thinking of Christmas music she made up awhile back.

"Where are you Christmas? Why can't I find you? Why have you gone away?" Her soft melody floated around her as she worked, making a happy, and momentarily sad, atmosphere. "Where is the laughter you used to bring me? Why can't I hear music play?" After the scuff mark was cleaned off nicely, Mai went over to the living room to polish the wooden tables. "My world is changing, I'm rearranging. Does that mean Christmas changes too?" Mai continued to sing, oblivious to who was listening. Ciel stood by an open doorway down the hall and listened to Mai's voice. He didn't mean to hear her, but her voice drifted.. and he couldn't stop himself from listening. He shook his head and went into the library, feeling the need to read a good book.

After a couple hours work, the manner looked nice and the servants were let off early. They gathered together on the second level and dressed warm to go outside.

"Here Mai, I have a pair of mittens and a hat you can borrow." Finny said as he placed a soft white hat on Mai's head and gave her a pair of white mittens to match. Mai blushed as she accepted the mittens and hat.

"Oh, thank you. This means a lot to me." She smiled happily.

"Not a problem." He said, lightly tussling her hat before he left the room. Mai slipped on the mittens and wiggled her fingers. They were so soft.. Mai quickly followed after Finny and the others and headed out to the outdoors. Snow covered everything in sight, making it look like a winters dream. Snow sparkled in an array of colors in the sun, and the cold winter air nipped at her nose.

"_Pfft!" _Mai spun around and locked eyes on the perpetrator. Bard was throwing snowballs at everyone, which wouldn't have been too obvious if he didn't have an arm of snowballs at hand. _'Oh it's on!' _Mai scooped up some snow and threw it was hard as she could at Bard. Bard easily ducked without needing to look at her. Mai stared in open shock before she was pelted with another snowball. She turned around and saw Finny running away laughing. _'So that's how it's going to be..' _She thought deviously. Her gold eyes drained of color and her hair lightened. In her half angel form, Mai dashed across the area to where Mey-Rin was standing and quickly made snowball.

"Here you go Mey-Rin. It's a war they want, it's a war they'll get." Mey-Rin nodded and took the snow ball, trying her best to throw it at Finny. It landed a foot in front of her. They both stared at the squished ball in silence as a couple more snowball soared through the air, both hitting Mey-Rin.

"Gah!" Mey-Rin fell to the ground dramatically. Mai narrowed her eyes at Bard and Finny as she threw a snowball squarely at Bard's face. The snowball hit it's target perfectly, muffling Bard's laughter.

"Pfft" Mai snickered as she made more snowballs. Finny stared wide eyed at Mai and began throwing snowballs at blinding speed. Mai ran from her spot, managing to dodge every snowball he threw at her.

"Huh? Where did she-" Mai stood behind Finny and tackled him to the ground.

"YAAHHHHH!"

"GAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Mai pinned his arms behind his back and dragged him up.

"Your my prisoner now. You serve my team." She said in mock seriousness.

"Finny!" Bard was about to save him when Mai put Finny in front of her as a shield.

"No way Bard. Finny belongs to us now." She quickly brought Finny across the field and put him next to Mey-Rin. The three of them scooped up snowballs and aimed it at Bard. Bard stared blankly at them for a long moment before he got a determined look on his face, scooping up multiple snowballs and launching them at the three at impossible speed.

"GAAHH!" They screamed and ducked from the air attack.

"What's wrong with Bard? He looks like he's ready to kill a man!" Mai exclaimed, looking back and fourth between Finny and Mey-Rin. Neither said anything as they quickly started making more snowballs and building a small fort. Mey-Rin took her glasses off.

"The only way to survive is to win." She said, her voice taking on a different tone in her seriousness. Mai blinked a couple times and looked at Finny, who seemed to be in agreement.

"She's right. When Bard get's like this, the only way to snap him out of it is to win whatever game we're playing."

"Mai. This may be asking a lot, but can you change to your full form?" Mai stared at her, feeling puzzled, but did as she asked. She's never done anything to make her doubt her. Well, there was that one time with spying on Ciel... but she was forced to against her will! Really!

"Good. Now on the count of three. One. Two.."

"THREE!" Finny screamed as he popped up from his hiding place. Mey-Rin and Mai popped up and began throwing snowballs like crazy.

"What is that ruckus?" Ciel demanded, setting down his Sherlock Holmes novel in a huff.

"I believe that's the servants playing in the snow." Sebastian said as he poured his master his daily tea.

"It sounds like a war out there." He complained as he got up to investigate. He looked out the window in the living room and wondered for a moment if there was a blizzard outside. "What the.." He took a closer look and realized it was actually snowballs. He sighed heavily before grabbing his coat off the small hanger in the hall and heading out.

"What's going on out here?" Ciel asked, feeling more than a little irked. Suddenly a snowball flew at him, effectively hitting his arm. He held his arm close to his side, pain rushing up his arm from impact. "Ow!" All snowballs stopped flying and dead silence followed after as everyone stared at Ciel with wide eyes.

"WE'RE SO SORRY YOUNG MASTER! PLEASE FORGIVE US!" Finny, Bard and Mey-Rin said, suddenly appearing in front of him. Mai stared dumbfounded, wondering briefly how they got there so fast.

"Are you hurt?!" Mey-Rin asked in a panicky voice, her glasses now back on.

"No, I'm fine. But just be careful, alright?" Mai pursed her lips into the palm of her hand, remembering how "careful" Ciel had been earlier today on the stairs. A plan slowly formed in her mind, though she couldn't do complete revenge. But she can do a holiday revenge.

After being sure everything was set up, Mai did her math. Ciel usually walked down this hall at 7:30 P.M which was just enough time for her plan to set into action.

"Hey Pluto." Mai greeted the demon dog quietly, petting the top of his head. "I need you to wait here with me okay?" Pluto nodded his head excitedly and barked quietly. "Shh." She said as she peeked around the corner. Here comes Ciel now! _' three..two..one..'_ "Now Pluto!" She said, lightly nudging him out of the corner. Pluto ran out of there like a rocket, heading straight for Ciel.

"P-Pluto! Hey stop! Gah!" Mai took a deep breath and feigned innocence. She walked out of the second hallway and walked towards Ciel, who was pinned on the ground by Pluto. Mai bit her cheek, trying not to laugh at the sight. But it was hilarious! Ciel was began to blush when Mai came closer and tried to escape from under Pluto.

"Hey there. I see you've got yourself in quite a pickle." She taunted in an innocent voice.

"Just shut up and help me up!" He snapped.

"Oh, I can do that. But it's not that simple..." She sighed as she crossed her arms.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, if you were to look up, you would see a mistletoe hanging above you. And the rule is, if two people are under the mistletoe, then they have to kiss." Her tone turned devious as she peered down at Ciel and Pluto.

"W-What?! You expect me to kiss a dog?" He yelled, trying his hardest to push Pluto off of him. But he just wouldn't budge! Mai offered him a hand and he didn't hesitate to take it. Electricity coursed in her veins from the contact.

"Thank you Pluto." She said gently, still holding Ciel's hand. Pluto nodded and got off Ciel's body. Mai helped Ciel on his feet and was reluctant to let go. Ciel seemed to feel the same way, for he held her hand for a few seconds longer before dropping it.

"Thanks.." He looked away as he said this, not used to having to say a whole hearted, or even half hearted thanks.

"Don't mention it." Heat seared through Mai's cheeks, making her feel like it was one hundred degrees in the room. "But you still have to kiss him." She said, lightly touching Pluto's back. Pluto sat on his hind legs in front of Ciel and barked once.

"No. I'm not doing it." He said as he began to walk away.

"Alright.. then I'll just have to let you go. Chicken." Ciel stopped in his tracks and looked behind him. Normally what Mai says about him wouldn't bother him a bit, but being called a chicken for some reason really got under his skin. Mai arched an eyebrow at him and said, "Are you going to do it, chicken?"

"I thought angels were supposed to be nice." Ciel snapped back as he headed towards Pluto.

"I think they are, when they aren't provoked." She said, giving him a look that said, 'you know what you did.' Ciel glared up at her and suddenly got a mischievous smile on his face. He turned Pluto towards him and affectionately kissed the top of his head. Mai stared in shock, not really believing he would do it. Something welled up inside of her, and she felt like if she didn't do something about it, she just might burst.

"CIEL'S FOUND HIS MATE! CIEL'S FOUND HIS MATE! EVERYONE!" She screamed as she took off for the servants quarters. She knew she was being childish, but she's never seen him put so much affection into something, so she felt the need to tell all the servants, minus Sebastian!

"Hey! Get back here!" Ciel ran after her, not wanting her to tell anyone about what he did. Somehow Ciel managed to catch up, mainly because Mai was having trouble getting around all the obstacles in her way, and caught her elbow. He then pinned Mai to the wall in at the end of the second hallway while trying to catch his breath. Mai looked at him curiously, not feeling even slightly winded. _'Guess that goes to show that rich people rarely do anything active.' _Once Ciel got his breath back, he looked into Mai's eyes and said,

"What are you doing? I kissed Pluto didn't I?" Mai laughed once, refusing to meet his eye.

"Yes, you did, but I just couldn't resist. You were really convincing, you know." Ciel said nothing but stepped closer. Mai suddenly realized the situation at hand. Ciel was really, really close to her, and he had her trapped, his hands on either side of her.

"Oh? How convincing was I?" He asked quietly, his breath tickling her skin.

"Uhm..." _'Darn him for doing this to me! I can't think of words to say!' _"Convincing enough." She breathed, suddenly getting an idea. Two can play at this game. She placed her hands behind her, just above her waist, and stepped closer to Ciel. Her hands made sure she didn't fall back, which would be very easy since there's only a few inches of space between them. Now it was Ciel's turn to be breathless, but he refused to back down. He decided to deliver the ultimate blow.

"How convincing do you think I would be if I kissed you?" Mai forgot what it felt like to breathe for a second as heat rained down on her, making her cheeks redden beyond compare. She saw Ciel's cheeks redden as well, his own breathing seeming to be staggering. Ignoring the pangs going off in her body and her racing heart, she closed the space between them.

The kiss was gentle, but something was set off in Mai, making her feel like she never wanted to stop. Pure, raw energy poured through her body, making her feel more alive than she has in a long time. Ciel seemed to feel the same way as he deepened the kiss, pressing Mai closer to the wall.

"Ahem." Ciel and Mai turned and saw Bard, Finny, and Mey-Rin staring at them while they came up the stairs. Mey-Rin was holding a bloody handkerchief to her nose and Finny and Bard both wore funny smiles.

"So, we heard Ciel found a mate now, eh?" Bard asked, looking smug. Ciel and Mai looked at each other for a second before shoving each other away, neither making eye contact. Neither of them could come up with words. They must have seen everything.

"Ciel kissed Pluto!"

"MAI!"

~* MERRY CHRISTMAS!*~


	17. Happy New Years!

**( Hey guys! I want to thank 18tails *creator of Mai * So much for helping me with this chapter. I couldn't have done it without you! :'D ) **

"I can not believe I let him talk me into this.." Mai muttered as she stood in place by the manners entrance. It was New Years Eve, and Ciel suggested to have a ball at the manner. As usual, Mai was dead set against it, saying she would gladly jump off a bridge before she got in a dress of sorts. Whatever Mey-Rin had in her closet. But thankfully she wasn't required to wear a dress.

"Miss Hondan, don't you like to celebrate the New Years?" Sebastian asked cunningly. She fell silent at his words, a soft voice whispering in her mind, _'What does he know?' _She remembered the short conversation darkly. Yes she loved to celebrate New Years. It made her feel like a new person and thought it symbolized new beginnings. She actually felt very strongly about the New Years. It was one of the most important holidays ever, in her opinion.

"If you like New Years, why the sour face?" Finny asked innocently after the guests arrived. Darkness settled in the room before soft lighting from candles and light from the grand chandelier made the room come to life in a mysterious New Years aura. Mai sighed and leaned back against the wall by the doorway to the ballroom.

"It's just.. he seems to be making a big deal of this. Usually if he throws a party like this it's for his own gain..." She trailed off, catching herself wondering if this all _was_ for his own gain. "When I was a kid...when I was..a..kid..." Mai clutched her chest in a panic, her breathing suddenly becoming labored and ragged.

"Mai!" Finny held her up when she began sliding to the floor.

"Oh my, is something wrong with you're maid Lord Phantomhive?" A tall woman with long, blond hair and bright green eyes pointed out. She wore a dark purple ball gown and purple silk gloves to match.

Ciel followed the woman's gaze and saw Finny trying to help Mai up. She looked like she was in pain. His ocean blue eye widened and he felt a strong rush of worry spread through his body. Ciel found himself walking towards her a few steps before remembering guests. It wouldn't look good for the head master of the Phantomhives to worry about servants. He gritted his teeth and forced himself look away as Finny lead her out of the room. '_I wish I could help.' _

"I-I'm okay. I'm sorry.." She whispered as she stumbled out of the room and into the main hall with Finny. "It..it's just.." Her lower lip trembled slightly and she could feel tears coming on. She quickly look around frantically. There were people everywhere. She refused to let anyone see her cry. Especially those snotty rich people in their dumb ball gowns and suits.

Finny could see Mai's eyes getting glassy and her frantic looking made it clear she didn't want to be around people. He didn't hesitate to pick her up and go up the second set of stairs anyone rarely used. Once they were upstairs in the hallway and they were alone, Mai burst into tears. "It's okay Mai." Finny soothed, setting her back on her feet but still holding her.

"N-N-No it's not! I'm just remem-mbering something I-I've finally forgotten." She sobbed into his shirt, hoping it would muffle her cries. Finny stroked her hair gently and said,

"Do you want to talk about it?" Without a second of hesitation, Mai launches into her story, finally revealing her darkest story that's been buried in the deepest depths of herself.

Ciel tried to focus on the party, but he couldn't stop thinking about Mai. The pain on her face... it was enough to break even the toughest of men.

"Lord Phantomhive, you _must _tell me how you managed to throw such an amazing ball! It reminds me of this one I went to a year ago. It was so..." A tall woman in a long, elegant, floor length red dress quickly spoke, her British accent thick in her voice. Ciel only half listened to her while his mind was else where. '_I've seen her upset. But I've never seen her act like this when people are around. Especially big groups of people.' _He was honestly very worried about her, but what could he do? How could he be sure she was okay? Yes, she was with Finny but he had to see for himself.

"Excuse me, I have some business to take care of." He apologized half-heartedly to the woman before he walked away. He tried to keep his strides even and unhurried though he wanted nothing more than to run out of the room and find her as fast as possible. The woman looked after his retreating figure with surprise and slight annoyance. '_What is wrong with that boy?' _She wondered to herself idly before finding someone else to talk to.

Once Ciel made it to the main hall, he tried to appear casual as he scanned the crowds of people for Mai or even Finny. No where to be seen. Ciel instantly began thinking of places Mai would go. '_Mai hates nobles, and she doesn't like it when people see her when she's weak. There's nobles everywhere...except..' _Ciel glanced around for watching eyes once more before making his way up the grand stair case. The last thing he wanted was for people to think something was wrong. Once he made it upstairs without anyone following behind, he silently made his way down the dark hallway.

"It..it all started..when I was at the orphanage." Ciel stopped cold in his tracks and peered around the corner he was about to turn. Mai and Finny were just a little way away from him, but he could hear everything. '_I don't recall her being in an orphanage..'_ He thought to himself surprised. Sebastian would have surly told him something about that.. "My..My orphanage mother was so cruel." She put her hand over her mouth to quiet her sobs.

"It's okay Mai. You don't have to talk about this." Finny tried to reason quietly. Mai shook her head in defiance.

"No..No, I want to talk about this." Ciel felt horrible for listening, but rationalized that, if she knew some things about him, why can't he know something about her? Mai then began telling her story from her short time in the orphanage.

"Take out the scoundrel, servant! I won't stand for the incursed beast to continue it's horrible barking!" An elder woman screamed out as she walked down her hallways and not even stopping to talk to the child face to face.

"Y-yes, ma'am." A young, 7-year-old Mai dipped her head low and her body arched forward as she bowed to the older lady she so called her "mother." Mai's long blonde hair fell past her small face, which framed in a pure diamond shape. Her skin was a pale snow white color, caused by no time in the sun. Her locks were messy, spinted and torn in several ways. Her gold eyes dim with a cape of black, making the first eye-contact a large circle of nothingness.  
>The urgent call sent large creepy echos through the 'mansion.' Mai quickly turned on her heel and ran out to the front door, swiping the long rope that she was to use to walk the dogs. She got to her destination, whistled a calm tune for the head dog, Grace, to come to take her outside. Grace quickly came galloping to the front door from the child's call. She skidded to a halt and her tongue slopped back and forth out of her jaw's boundaries. Mai tied the front end of the rope to Grace's collar and she opened the door. However, she almost didn't have to, for a pair of males, who seemed to be related by the likeness of the brown hair.<br>The father of the pair stepped back, appalled by the sight of the poor young orphan. Mai glanced up at the man and quickly bowed gratefully, and in the lightest and kindest voice she could, "Welcome, gentlemen to the Smith Orphanage. We thank you for thinking of our children to adopt into your families." She stands back up and for a moment she glanced to the younger male, and gave a kind smile, closing her eyes.  
>Mai quickly turned around and leaped off into the deep cover of snow that fell in the early month of winter. Today was December 31st, but it's not like Mai was aware of the most important time of the year. She barely knew her own age.<br>The young girl shivered violently as her bare feet deepened the snow, freezing her toes to her shins. Her poor excuse for pants, which were ripped at the ends and showed her boney feet were immediately frosted when they touched the cold snow. She hugged her arms in her thin, plain white sweater.  
>Grace ungracefully (ay, I buy the clothes on your back, I GIVE YOU A FRICKEN CHANCE TO GET A BETTER FAMILY! AND YOU ASK FOR MORE?! YOU SELFISH, UNWANTED, BRAT! HOW DARE YOU BELIEVE YOU'RE ACTUALLY WORTH THIS LIFE YOUR LIVING!" Mai's mother screamed at the top of her lungs and forced Mai onto her knees, as she clutched even harsher on Mai's head and hair, who was desperately feeling for the release of her hair.<br>Mai's tears began to pour out like waterfalls, and sniffles and cries of pain and fear exited her pale pink chapped lips. Her tears splashed against the floor and she cries out harder as she felt a warm liquid on the top of her head and deep burning came from upon her head. She felt so helpless and scared. She let the words of her 'mother' sink into her mind, and she cried even harder and harder than she has ever cried before...  
>Selfish. Unwanted. Brat. Useless. Unworthy.<br>"Who do you think you are?" A deep, stern voice was heard behind Mai's mother and it sounded like an male's voice. For a moment, the only thing that could have been heard were the loud cries of Mai's abuse were heard when the mother's grip intensified for five seconds before she threw Mai off of her knees and her hand off her now bleeding head. Mai fell to the ground and immediately clutched her head in a gentle hold and her body cringed in small spasms from her continuing crying body.  
>The mother turned towards the bystander and she quickly smiled kindly, "Hello, Mr. Sheriff, I thought you were upstairs and I told you to wait for me to come back." She tried to cover up what she had just done with a kind and wide smile, and her eyes closed to hide the decreasing rage within, and she happily held out her arms to the two men. They were the father and son that Mai had saw at the front door and welcomed them inside.<p>

"That night my father adopted me and saved me from that wretched Hell." She growled, barely containing her anger throughout the story. Ciel leaned back against the wall and felt as though an invisible weight was pressing down on him, slowly crushing what little life he had left inside of him. He couldn't stop himself from thinking of his own horrors. His own tortures. His own savior, though he was anything but. A dreary silence settled over the room, the air as thick as death itself.

Tears streamed down Finny's sorrowful face and he hugged Mai as tightly as he could without hurting her. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that Mai! But you're here with us now, and no one will hurt you ever again."

"Thank you Finny. You're such a great friend. I couldn't ask to know a better person." She murmured, slowly hugging him in return.

"We should get back to the party. The Young Master will get angry if he realizes we left."

"Y-You go on ahead. I think I need a little more time to be alone.." Finny looked concerned again, worry making his eyes twinkle softly. He didn't think it was such a good idea to leave her alone, not now.

"Mai I don't think you should-"

"Don't worry. I'll be fine." She quietly intervened, and even gave him a reassuring smile for good measure. With one last hesitant look Finny turned to walk away and said,

"If you need me, I'll be with Mey-Rin and Bard in the ballroom." Mai nodded slowly and he walked away.

Ciel was grateful neither of them saw him peeking around the corner as they spoke. It wouldn't look good if he got caught now. As soon as Finny was out of sight, Mai leaned against the wall and stared at the ceiling with a blank expression, not thinking about anything; just staring. Ciel debated with himself whether to come out of hiding or just walk away and pretend nothing happened. He looked over at her long expression again and something inside of him seemed to snap. Something that's been holding him back for far too long. Suddenly he made a decision that would inevitably change everything. Ciel slowly moved away from the wall and tried to appear casual as he turned around the corner and said,

"What are you doing up here?" Mai snapped her head towards him startled. '_How long as he been here?_ _How much did he hear?! How much does he know..?' _

"Nothing. I just needed to fix something, not that it's any of your business." She says coolly. Instead of feeling angry, Ciel only felt more motivated to do what he needed to do. He looked at the ground and said sincerely,

"If you..ever want to talk about anything.. you can talk to me." Mai stared at Ciel uncomprehendingly for only a second before heat seared through her veins in rage. '_How DARE he listen to my past!' _She screamed in her mind. She shifted forms faster than Ciel has ever seen before, her white eyes glowing brightly. Normally he would have called Sebastian to take care of her- honestly he was beyond scared right now- but this was something _he_ had to handle. This was personal. Forcing himself not to shake, Ciel lifted up the back of his shirt and showed her his scar. Just as Mai was about to attack him, she noticed his scar. Still seething with rage she growled.

"What are you showing me?"

"My scar. From when I was in slavery." Mai's rage quickly burned out, and was replaced with a numb, dumbfounded feeling. '_Could he possibly be mocking me..?' _She moved closer to get a better look at it and Ciel stayed in place, though he felt very uncomfortable. It wasn't just a typical scar. It was a mark. Not like the one Sebastian gave him, but the kind branded onto cattle.

"Ciel.." Without a word Ciel pulled down his shirt and left before his guests would suspect something was wrong. Mai stared after him, wanting to call out and ask him to stay with her. She battled the feeling within herself and Ciel left her without looking back. Her eyes grew dimmer but still glowed softly against her angelic figure.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
>'<em>Maybe I could learn to like New Years.'<em> Ciel thought to himself as he made his way back to the ballroom, being sure to blend into the crowd as to not draw attention. '_The whole meaning of it is about new beginnings...' _

"Is everything alright, Young Master?" Sebastian said amusingly, appearing beside Ciel with a coy smile. Ciel looked over at Sebastian, knowing he probably knew something, and said wickedly,

"I'm fine. Now don't you have things you need to attend to, butler?" With that he walked away, not even smiling in victory. Sebastian's eyes glowed a vicious red as he glared at his master, but he did as he was told and left to attend to the guests.

Ciel talked and associated with the guests as if nothing was wrong. Of course it was easy to pretend everything was alright; he's practiced for years. Even though he was busy talking to the party-goers, he found himself looking over where the servants were standing. They attended to the guests but somehow managed to stay together. It's almost impossible to separate them for long. Mai returned to the party, back in her human form, and served people with a fake smile on her face. If he didn't know her so well, he would have assumed she was actually happy. The sight of her made him sad and angry. He couldn't allow things to continue like this.

A slow song began to play on the dance floor and people began pairing up. Dancers twirled along the floor and leaned in closely with they're partners. Ciel walked over to the servants area, and spotted Mai serving a young woman chamomile tea.

"Mai." Mai turned around, trying to balance the tray of tea in her hand. Ciel smiled a small, almost angelic smile and offered his hand. "May I have this dance?" Heat rushed to Mai's face, making her feel hot all over.

"U-Um,"

"Go on Mai." Mey-Rin whispered into her ear, silently taking the tray from her.

Finny patted her shoulder and nodded, smiling brightly.

"Go on kid." Bard encouraged also, giving her a small nudge. Mai's suspicion wavered as she, almost tentatively, took his hand. Ciel lead her out to the middle of the dance floor and placed his hand on her waist and held her other hand. Mai's heart raced in her chest, threatening to beat right out of her chest.

"Aren't you going to be embarrassed if people see you dancing with a maid?" She says almost teasing. But she was right; everyone was staring. Ciel looks her straight in the eye, not a trace of humor on his face.

"I don't care." He said softly. "They can all go to hell for all I care." Mai genuinely smiled and danced with him. '_I love you.' _

Sebastian watched them from behind the crowd, feelings of jealousy stabbing at him. '_I can't believe he's falling in love with that girl.' _He thought to himself enviously. Feelings for his Young Master has been building up ever since he made the contract with him. He couldn't deny anymore that he had strong feelings for him. More than anything he wanted him to feel the same way.. he even thought of ways of discreetly getting closer to him and things would just fall into place. But he didn't realize how much of an effect hiring Mai would have on his plans.

Sebastian chuckled to himself at his moment of 'human' weakness. Of course Mai had no chance against him.

"I'll have you one day, Young Master."


End file.
